More Students qualifying for Diplomas in OC

Now that an exit exam is no longer a requirement for a high school diploma in South Carolina, the School District of Oconee County is accepting requests for diplomas. Oconee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Thorsland says the district has begun to issue diplomas to former students who met all the requirements except that one. “This past year when the Legislature repealed the requirement for an exit test, it did open the door for certain students to receive diplomas that had not been able to in the past. These are students who met the graduation requirement for unit but they for some reason had not been successful on the exit exam. So now, those students can call the district office and say ‘I passed all my classes, I did not pass the exit exam, and I would like to get my diploma.’” Dr. Thorsland reports that 27 former students have received diplomas since Act 155 was passed by the Legislature. The district estimates that as many as 200 more students may qualify for diplomas.