Counselor Error Leads To Students Not Graduating

Nearly a dozen recent Burges High School graduates have not met graduation requirements because of transcript errors, El Paso Independent School District officials confirm.

Parents who spoke to KFOX-14 said it was because of the error of one high school counselor, who missed key steps leading up to graduation.

In one case, one student, the National Honor Society president, took forensics instead of physics, thinking that would fulfill the science requirement. She walked across the stage in June and accepted a diploma, stating she met state requirements.

However, she recently received a phone call stating that she did not meet the science requirement, and now needs to take physics to fulfill the standard.

To find out that I didn't graduate, it makes me really mad," said Angela Chavez.

Her mother also can't believe this would happen.

"You assume that the professionals here at the school are doing what they're supposed to do," said Emma Sanchez, Chavez's mother.

EPISD officials issued the following statement:

"We want to first apologize to each student for the inconvenience that this has caused.

Thanks to a diligent and dedicated counselor serving our students over the Summer Break, we have discovered that about a dozen students who graduated in June have errors on their transcripts that need our immediate attention. These errors are isolated to Burges High School. We are in the process of contacting the affected students.

Many of these students are getting ready to attend college or start their careers and we will work with them on an individual basis to get the matter resolved in an expeditious manner. The summer school program will be tailored to each of the students’ needs.

We will review the cause of the errors when school personnel return from Summer Break and take any appropriate action to correct this isolated situation."

Chavez and her mother both said this is not the first time they have had problems with the school counselors.

Another student, Yazmin Gonzalez, came forward, telling KFOX-14 she now does not qualify for a financial aid package at El Paso Community College because her counselor withdrew her from a course mistakenly, and that is now reflected on her transcript. She is still struggling to work out what will happen next.

No word yet on when the summer school classes could start or if the counselor will face any disciplinary action.