El Paso Schools Manipulated Exams of Hispanic Students: Report

A new scandal inside the Texas education system has put various public schools in the sights of authorities and parents in El Paso.

According to El Nuevo Herald, an investigation on San Elizario High School revealed that the school's staff had manipulated the exams and credits of Hispanic students.

The same source says that the investigations revealed that various Mexican students were the victims of a plot to keep them in the 9th grade, to prevent them from taking the standardized tests of 10th grade.

Furthermore, some 9th grade students were sent to 11th grade, while others were expelled to keep them from taking the federal tests.

The 10th grade's tests are tools designed to evaluate the general performance of students, and the manipulation of grades, credits and exams applied by the school was meant to prevent the fall of the average grade of the school in federal tests.

Despite the investigations, no legal process will be filed against San Elizario High School, since the Department of Education prohibits investigations on accusations older than 180 days.

According to El Nuevo Herald, El Paso's democrat legislator, Beto O'Rourke has sent a letter to the Department of Education demanding an explanation.

"The most urgent matter in this scandal is to try to provide some justice for the kids who were denied an education", said O'Rourke.

Last March, the Canutillo Independent School District (CISD) also avoided being sanctioned for manipulating exam results.

Diario Mx reported that an investigation made by the the CISD's board revealed irregularities with evaluations; however, the school was not sanctioned for it.