The deficiencies in many facets of the high school curriculum have driven numerous parents to seek a reliable alternative. While the school district gropes for solutions, time and critical learning slips by for the students.

As the superintendent and the School Board attempt to cast a cloud over the grades from outside schools, they should ask themselves if they have truthfully considered the best interests of the students and their aspirations for knowledge and college, or are they just trying to preserve funding and responding to criticism from faculty or other parents?

In response to non-Privett parents who assert that Privett’s grading policy is much more lenient than the high school, look at the evidence of standardized tests and college admissions for Privett students. These students deserve a supportive School Board and faculty.

The School Board would also be well-advised to look at the evidence on standardized test scores and admissions to top-tier schools for Privett students before disallowing the inclusion of grades within the Mercer Island GPA.

Jim Thornton