CASHMERE — Cashmere High School senior Kate Jacobson describes herself as an introvert. She says she’s a bit of a perfectionist, too.
Jacobson’s drive to put herself in the best position for college has gotten her to a 4.0 grade-point average. Outside of the classroom, she’s competed on the Cashmere High School swim team and played on the softball team all four years. Her grades are also submitted alongside her teammates to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association for athletic academic honors.
But, she hasn’t taken any classes in-person at the high school, and because of that, Cashmere School District officials determined that she is ineligible for valedictorian status at graduation. Jacobson wasn’t officially enrolled at the high school until her senior year, after her family opted for other schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The district, by its own admission, does not have a written policy listing the criteria that it is using to determine Jacobson’s eligibility for valedictorian.
After several months of back and forth between Jacobson, her parents and the district, the situation culminated into a lawsuit to be heard in Chelan County Superior Court next week.
“It’s an uncomfortable situation,” Jacobson said. “I wish it wasn’t happening but it is.”
The district, through Board Chair Aaron Bessonette, declined to comment to NCWLIFE, citing ongoing litigation.
Currently, Kate is a full-time Running Start student, enrolled in a state-wide dual credit program that allows students to graduate with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree from a community college.
Before the pandemic, Jacobson was a full-time student in the district. She attended Cashmere schools from kindergarten through seventh grade.
“When COVID hit, we had six kids in the district and the push was to put them on screens,” Jacobson’s mother, Pete, said. “I'm self-employed, my husband’s self-employed. And so for us to manage six children on screens was just not something we could do.”
The family moved their kids to Joyful Scholars, a private Montessori school in the Greater Wenatchee Valley that allowed them to return to the classroom in-person. Jacobson attended school there from eighth grade to 10th grade, and began the Running Start program as a junior, but as a homeschool student.
Pete explained it “didn’t matter” whether or not she was enrolled in high school, stating the district told them it didn’t get funding whether she was enrolled as a homeschool student or enrolled at CHS as a full-time Running Start student.
Ahead of senior year, Pete said Jacobson inquired about walking at graduation, and was told she needed to be enrolled at the school to do so. Her parents attempted to push back on this, but eventually relented.
“We said, fine, we'll go ahead and enroll her, which required her to jump through a number of hoops in order to graduate through Cashmere,” Pete said.
To graduate from CHS, Jacobson needed to complete extra courses, community service and a senior project and presentation. Before her senior year, the family also inquired about her eligibility for valedictorian.
Pete said the school counselors referred her to Principal Craig Mackenzie, who wasn’t sure if Jacobson would be eligible for the valedictorian honors. The family eventually reached out to Superintendent Glenn Johnson, who referred them back to Mackenzie.
On Oct. 9, Mackenzie emailed Pete to inform her that Kate does not meet the criteria for valedictorian based on “historical expectations for qualification.”
“I understand and appreciate that CHS students participate in associated learning experiences in support of their post-secondary goals, including Running Start, Technical Education programs and Homeschooling,” Mackenzie wrote in the email.
“I also understand that students transfer, for various reasons beyond their control, to schools at different times during their high school experience,” he continued. “Grounding their education in at least one semester of coursework prior to their senior year on Cashmere High School campus reflects a fundamental expectation to qualifying for this honor.”
In the same email, he said Jacobson was welcome to participate in the high school’s graduation ceremony and based on her GPA, “has an excellent chance of being recognized as a Bulldog Academic Top 10,” which is awarded to CHS graduates with a high academic standing.
“We went to the superintendent, met with him, and he thought that this should be Kate's battle,” Pete said. “And so, we as parents tried to step back. It's a tricky balance because when you've got a student and a principal, you've got a power differential.”
Pete said Kate met with both the superintendent and principal alone, but the officials stayed firm. Through public records requests, the family found the district had no formal written policy relating to the “historical expectations for qualification.” The family formally appealed the decision to the school board at a hearing on Jan. 13.
A few days later, on Jan. 16, the board sent a letter to the family upholding the decision that Jacobson is ineligible for valedictorian. Board Chair Bessonette explained the two criteria the district uses to determine valedictorian eligibility: being the student must have the top GPA in their graduating class; and the student must have attended the high school for at least one semester before senior year.
“The Board recognizes this criterion is not written anywhere; however, the District has used it for over thirty years to decide whether students are eligible for the valedictorian award. It is a well-established standard that has been uniformly applied for years,” Bessonette wrote.
Additionally, Bessonette wrote the district wants “its valedictorians to be connected with the high school’s staff and students, to have personal contact with them, to spend time with them, and to contribute to the learning environment.”
The only way to appeal the board’s decision, Pete said, was to take them to court.
“We tried very hard to not go this route, right?” Pete said. “I mean, from our perspective, first and foremost, who does it hurt by conveying this honor upon her? They have multiple valedictorians, so no one's displaced, which is probably the first and foremost most important thing.”
In a legal brief filed April 22, the district argues it does not have a written policy for selecting “Teacher of the Year” or identifying “Citizen of the Month.”
“Similarly, Cashmere School District does not have a written policy that it will hold an assembly on Veteran’s Day, that recess comes after lunch, or that teachers should not show rated-R movies in class,” filed by the school district attorney. “Does the lack of written policies on these issues mean that Cashmere cannot make, and enforce, its decisions on those items? Not at all!”
Pete said the family offered to enter mediation and asked if the district would consider quietly giving the honors to Jacobson so she could use it for applications for college and scholarships, and said the district did not respond. After that point, Pete said the only recourse was Superior Court. Though, she said the decision to sue was ultimately up to Kate.
“I'm not against the Cashmere School District,” Kate said. “I just feel like I worked really hard and I earned this.”
