Due to group vigilance and highlight reporting by The Defender, Thurgood Marshall Excessive College will have a good time its Class of 2025 with rightful delight: two college students who really walked the varsity’s halls daily—Amya Johnson as Valedictorian and Tristan Heard as Salutatorian—can be honored for his or her achievements.
It’s a second of justice, hard-won.
The announcement marks a big shift from final yr’s controversy, when Fort Bend Impartial College District (FBISD) initially named college students who had by no means set foot on the Marshall or Willowridge campuses as Valedictorian and Salutatorian. The transfer ignited public outrage, significantly in traditionally Black college communities, and drew consideration to the district’s controversial class rating coverage.
A coverage below fireplace
The now-rescinded coverage, which required college students to be ranked on the college the place they have been geographically zoned—even when they attended a distinct one—led to a number of incidents the place college students used questionable residency claims to spice up their class rank. Some households reportedly rented or falsified addresses in sure zones (typically lower-performing colleges with smaller, much less aggressive class sizes) whereas attending colleges with extra strong educational choices like Dulles.
The outcome? College students who by no means attended courses at colleges like Marshall have been being named valedictorians, undermining the work and morale of scholars who have been there daily.
The Defender was first to report that the top-ranked college students at Marshall and Willowridge had by no means attended courses there. After a flood of group backlash and chronic efforts from dad or mum advocate and Marshall PTO President Stephanie Brown, FBISD reversed its rating determination for these campuses.
Brown says the district wouldn’t have reviewed the rankings in any respect with out public strain.
“Primarily based on the truth that I wrote in saying that I had tips on college students falsifying their residence, they began investigating,” Brown mentioned. “With out these suggestions, I’d not have been profitable in my advocacy and these honors wouldn’t have been returned to our college students.”
FBISD has acknowledged that it performed a “thorough evaluation” however has supplied few particulars on the assessment course of, fueling continued questions on transparency and accountability.
Nonetheless not over
Whereas the district has voted to remove the ranking-by-zone coverage, the change won’t take impact till 2026. Meaning college students graduating in 2025 have been nonetheless prone to being affected by the flawed system.
However because of group leaders like Brown and native media consideration, the category of 2025 averted that destiny, a minimum of at Marshall. Brown stays dedicated to retaining the strain on so future college students gained’t need to battle this battle once more.
“The temptation and makes an attempt to cheat the system can be perfected and maybe not caught the following time round,” Brown warned. “We now have to maintain the eye on this matter in order that they know we’re not going to fall asleep on this.”
