Aaron Lassmann has been ranked as the Valedictorian of the Clear Springs High School Class of 2016 from freshman year though to the first half of senior year. Clear Springs High School has allowed a student who entered the school year as a junior to graduate early against policy and knock down every single person in the Class of 2016 at the last minute.

The person supported by Clear Springs High School and Clear Creek ISD has always been a member of the Class of 2017 during her high school career, even in the fall of 2015 which is used as the determination period for rankings for graduation honors. This person has been allowed to take courses without the completion of necessary prerequisites and to violate certain policies regarding online courses that make her ineligible for graduation honors.

Clear Springs High School has also confirmed that this student does not have a completed early graduation plan. The school has insisted that this person does not need one, claiming that the student has always been a member of the Class of 2016 despite having no evidence in support of this claim. This person has always been ranked with the Class of 2017 and taken courses with that class. This person came into the school year enrolled only in junior level courses.

Additionally, this student has a twin who transferred to Friendswood High School in Friendswood ISD following their freshman year. The twin is currently a junior as FHS and is ranked as the valedictorian in the Class of 2017.

Due to the various policy violations, this student is ineligible to serve as valedictorian for the Clear Springs Class of 2016. As such, Aaron Lassmann should be reinstated as valedictorian and the student below him reinstated as salutatorian.

A few of the specific policy violations and changes are listed below:

EIC(Local) Policy Violations:

a. The individual in question was classified in the official CCISD system as a JUNIOR in the fall of 2015 when all honors are calculated for the SENIOR class.(CCISD Board changed this policy February 22, 2016 effective immediately, but it is unclear how this would be retroactively implemented)

b. All outside coursework must be completed by the end of the first 9 weeks of the spring semester (March 11, 2016) Finals for Clear Access were the week of April 4th. (CCISD Board removed this policy February 22, 2016 effective immediately.)

c. Also changed was the passing grade on examinations for foreign students from 75 to 70 in order to receive credit for a course. (CCISD Board changed this policy February 22, 2016 effective immediately, but it is unclear how this would be retroactively implemented)

d. The CCISD Attorney and head of policy most certainly knew that this policy and its interpretation were the subject of a currently pending grievance. In fact, the attorney sat in the Level I grievance hearing on February 22, 2016, hours before this policy was changed. 

EIC (Regulation) Policy Violations:

Requires completion of all outside work before the end of the first nine weeks of the spring semester to hold honors with the graduating class.

EIE(Local) Policy Violations:

Changes in grade-level classification shall be made at the beginning of the fall semester. The individual was classified as a Junior in the Fall of 2015 and there is no Policy which allows for retroactive classification.

EIF (Legal) Policy Violation:

The individual was allowed to complete English IV online concurrent with English III. A student may not be enrolled in a course that has a required prerequisite unless: The student has completed the prerequisite course(s); The student has demonstrated equivalent knowledge as determined by the district; or The student was already enrolled in the course in an out-of-state, an out-of-country, or a Texas nonpublic school and transferred to a Texas public school prior to successfully completing the course. Given that the student currently taking English III, they did not meet the equivalent knowledge test, and the other two situations would not apply.