Former student sues to rescind his status as a graduate
A former suburban Chicago high school student is suing to force his former high school to rescind his status as a graduate. Michael Labus attended Maine South High School, where he was a standout football player. Unfortunately, his grades at Maine South rendered him ineligible to play college football and would have resulted in loss of potential athletic scholarships. To avoid this scenario, Michael claims, school officials advised him that if he stopped attending physical education class he would receive an incomplete, leaving him short of the credits needed to graduate. With no diploma, he enrolled at a New York prep school in 2004, increasing his grade-point average in the classes he needed to qualify to play college football. However, when he sought to enroll at Eastern Illinois University, university officials discovered that records indicated that he had graduated from Maine South with grades that would make him ineligible for intercollegiate sports and jeopardize his scholarship. Michael sued the school district in Cook County Circuit Court, requesting that the court order Maine South to change his grade from "C" to an incomplete and his status from graduate to nongraduate. Judge Patrick McGann has denied Michael's request, but has suggested that his attorney instead file a motion for Michael to decline his diploma. "From a human-interest point of view, this has some appeal and is worth my time to explore whether or not there's a remedy available for him," he explained. "Does he have the right to decline a diploma from this school?" Attorney Julie Heuberger Yura, representing Maine South, answered that because Michael met all graduation requirements at Maine South, his grades and status as a graduate should stand. But Judge McGann offered a "resolution that could satisfy everyone" if the school were willing to indicate that Michael completed the necessary requirements but that he declined to accept his diploma.
Chicago Sun-TimesBy Steve Patterson
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