Texas school district commencement called off after only of five of 33 prospective students eligible to graduate

A college opening ceremony in Texas was canceled after the county realized only five of them were in attendance 33 prospective graduates were authorized to cross the stage, officials said on Friday.

Marlin HS, about 120 miles south of downtown Dallas, was scheduled to hand out diplomas Thursday, before the Marlin Independent School District announced that a number of students “did not meet requirements based on attendance or grades.”

Announcing the postponement of the ceremony, Superintendent Darryl Henson said the students in his district “will be of the same high standard as any other student in Texas.”

“We have high expectations, not as an impertinence, but as a sign of confidence in our students’ abilities.” Henson said in a statement to the community.

Superintendent Henson and his staff reviewed the students’ files last weekend and found only five were eligible to graduate, district spokeswoman Leah Wayne told NBC News on Friday.

The non-admission was due to a variety of reasons including failing grades, attendance, verification and documentation issues.

“They found some flaws in the data compared to what they thought should be there,” Wayne said. “That’s why they gave the students a little more time. They have decided to postpone the degree so that more students have the opportunity to solve some of these problems.”

Those ineligible students have done makeup work and had the correct forms signed — and as of Friday, 27 out of 33 students can now twirl tassels, Wayne added.

Students in the district’s alternative education program were also affected by the later exam, which found only two of those five students were eligible to walk.

There are now three, giving the district a total of 30 of the 38 Marlin ISD students ready to cross the stage.

Despite any inconvenience or embarrassment caused by the postponement, school officials insisted the decision was made in the best interests of Students in the state-controlled system.

“That was the mainstay of this government, we will not cut corners. This school district was a failing school district for ten years before it was taken over by the state,” Wayne said.

“No student should just be put through the system and that’s one of the reasons this exam was conducted.”

The date for a catch-up date had not yet been set as of Friday.