Woman Graduated with a 3.87 GPA but Reads at a 1st-Grade Level. Now, She’s Suing Her Former School District

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Makena Simonsen, a Washington high school graduate, claims to have graduated with a 3.87 GPA despite finishing her senior year at a first-grade reading level

• Simonsen and his family sued the Edmonds School District for “educational malpractice” and “good faith discrimination”

• In the complaint, his attorneys argue that the school district denied him “the opportunity to graduate with a meaningful degree,” leaving him unprepared for “postsecondary education, gainful employment, or citizenship.”

A Washington high school graduate has filed a lawsuit claiming his former school district gave him a “meaningless” diploma.

Makena Simonsen, who attended Lynwood High School in Bothell, recalled celebrating a graduation day full of promise. “I was happy. ‘Oh my God, I finally did it!’ I said. ” he told the local outlet KING 5 News.

But he said the feeling of excitement quickly faded. Simonsen, who has an intellectual disability and has been enrolled in special education programs since elementary school, graduated in June 2022 with a 3.87 GPA despite finishing his senior year of reading at a freshman level.

He had planned to enroll in the Edmonds School District’s free vocational program, which helps students with special needs transition to independent living, but discovered he was ineligible because he had earned a regular high school diploma.

Instead, Simonsen was forced to enroll in Bellevue College’s Vocational and Life Skills program at a cost of more than $40,000 annually; This includes tuition, room, board and living expenses.

When asked if she was ready for life after graduation, the 22-year-old told KING 5: “Not at all. I should have earned that degree, not just something that wasn’t going to get me anywhere.”

Simonsen and his family have since filed a lawsuit against the Edmonds School District in Snohomish County Superior Court, alleging “educational malpractice” and “good faith discrimination.”

In the complaint obtained by PEOPLE, her attorneys state that Simonsen “was unable to read, write or do math beyond the elementary school level” when she graduated from Lynwood High School in 2022.

“The district’s failure to provide Ms. Simonsen with access to a basic education that was fully consistent with state and district standards and its decision to award her a degree on that basis, thereby cutting off all transitional supports, caused Ms. Simonsen serious harm,” her attorneys said in the complaint.

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They claim the district “forced” Simonsen into the system and gave him “perfect grades” despite having “little or no understanding of the material.”

He got As or A-minus in math classes but couldn’t say “how many quarters, nickels, or dimes are in a dollar,” the complaint states.

“Simply put, Ms. Simonsen was denied the opportunity to graduate with a meaningful degree. The education she received did not prepare her for postsecondary education, gainful employment, or citizenship,” her attorneys say in the complaint.

Simonsen’s attorney, Lara Hruska of Seattle Cedar Law, said in a statement to PEOPLE: “It’s frustrating that obtaining this high school diploma actually closed Makena’s doors rather than opened them. The district should have delayed awarding the diploma so she could access transitional services through special education to prepare for life in the real world.”

“We see this as a statewide issue in Washington: students with disabilities have IEPs [Individualized Education Program] “Services were cut prematurely when the district issued a regular high school diploma that did not mean what it was supposed to be,” Hruska continued. “This was a disservice to Makena and also to all Edmonds students who graduated properly, because it really undermines the value of the degree.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the Edmonds School District for comment.

In a court filing obtained by PEOPLE, the school district denied failing to provide Simonsen with the basic education he was entitled to. The district said its general education classes met state standards and argued the case should be dismissed.

Simonsen is currently in her junior year at Bellevue College and faces up to $160,000 in student debt when she graduates, according to KING 5. He said he is now “actually taking his own notes” and has a positive outlook on his future.

“I feel much better about my future now than I did when I was in high school,” he said. “I’m passionate about this.”

Read the original article People