When Laurenz Santiago showed up in his cap and gown at Westchester Square Academy, he and his family got a humiliating reception.

“Your son may not be attending the graduation,” his stunned dad, Edward Santiago, said a school staffer told him.

The parents were ushered into Principal Yira Salcedo’s office. She explained that Laurenz was among five seniors who could not graduate because a math teacher had failed to sign off on the online courses they had taken. “The principal was in tears,” the dad said.

Modal TriggerPrincipal Yira Salcedo
Principal Yira Salcedo
In fact, two teachers who were asked to give grades for the online work refused to do so because they didn’t know the students – and believed it was wrong to award the credits, insiders said.

Source: Education department investigating Westchester Square Academy’s online courses