School Board wavers on new honors points policy

LARGO -- The Pinellas School Board and Superintendent Howard Hinesley agreed Tuesday night to reconsider the district's new policy for awarding quality points for honors classes.

School officials said they will revisit the issue with parents, teachers and administrators before deciding whether to stick with the new policy or revise it. They made the decision after more than a dozen students and parents told the School Board they have concerns about the new policy.

Under the policy adopted before school started, 88 more honors classes will be awarded quality points. Students who take one of the honors classes that offer the quality points for the first time will receive the points. But students who took those same classes in previous years will not receive the quality points retroactively.

Some parents and students from East Lake and Dunedin high schools contend the quality points should be awarded retroactively. Students and teachers from St. Petersburg High School have opposed that idea.

"Allow our children to be competitive with the rest of the country," said Lauren Pantoja, a parent of an East Lake High School student. "Allow our children to be competitive with students in our own state. Allow our children to be competitive with the county next door. Don't handicap our children."

Students also pleaded with the School Board to take action as soon as possible.

"I have worked so incredibly hard just to get those quality points, to get those scholarships," said Natasha Irizarry, a student at East Lake High School.

Hinesley said there are too many courses in Florida that qualify for quality points. He said some teachers also told him that in prior years honors classes that did not offer quality points weren't as rigorous as those that qualified for the points.

Board member Linda Lerner, who supports making the quality points retroactive, repeated a slogan written on poster boards held by students.

"Equal credit for equal work," she said as cheers erupted in the auditorium.

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