THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL / KRIS CRAIG
Education commissioner Deborah Gist tells Providence high school students waiting at the RIDE offices this afternoon that she would not talk to them today but is willing to talk if they schedule an appointment. They will meet Thursday.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A group of 37 Providence high school students staged a quiet sit-in outside of Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist. The students wanted to present Gist with a symbolic check for $500,000, which represents the amount of money a person would lose over a lifetime if he or she did not obtain a high school diploma.
The students eventually stopped Gist as she was running to a meeting and they asked to talk with her immediately, but she told them to schedule a meeting. The students were disappointed but then agreed to meet with her Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
The students, members of the Providence Student Union, have consistently protested the NECAP test, because potentially 4,000 students would be unable to pass it.
The NECAP, starting this fall, is linked to high school graduation.