Question for attorneys
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Anonymous
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I don't know what forum to ask this but could use advice. We are no longer in DC but in another East Coast city.
We have a grading dispute with a school. It's not a performance issue but the school is incorrectly attributing grades from one course to another. We have requested resolution for weeks but they are not responding to our emails or requests to meet. Our contract states that any matter that cannot be solved via negotiation (which it seems that they are refusing to do by not responding to emails) that any dispute will go to mediation before we pursue litigation. How do I proceed? How do we actually get them to mediate the dispute? Do I get an attorney to write a letter requesting mediation? Thank you! Agreed that this is ridiculous and it is the first time in my life that I am considering pursuing legal action of any type. |
Anonymous
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Seriously?
What are your damages? |
Anonymous
| Kid took a class at a college. Got 2 failing grades. Dropped the class by the drop deadline in order for it to not be on the transcript. Added a new class. The college is attributing the two failing grades to the wrong course and will not respond to requests to change this. How do you get this done? Student (and now parents) have been trying to go through traditional channels for 6 weeks. |
Anonymous
| Lawyer isn’t gonna help here |
Anonymous
No? How do you get this resolved? Aren't they fraudulently representing the academic record? (Yes, this is beyond ridiculous. We just want resolution.) |
Anonymous
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This should be in the colleges and universities discussion board.
Your kid should be handling it. Likely in person. I’d suggest my kid go to the registrar’s office and ask politely who might be able to help. I’d suggest they bring with them any supporting documents, like the record that showed they withdrew from the other class and records from the prof in the new class that documents the actual grade. If I was in any way addicted with a college or university I would absolutely ignore a call from a parent complaint about an incorrect grade. |
Anonymous
OP here. Kid went in multiple times to speak with the registrar and this has not been resolved. The professor is being punitive and is claiming that the grades transfer (they do not--they're not on the new course's syllabus and the course content is entirely different). The registrar's office says that they can't override the professor. The department chair and academic dean are unresponsive. I wouldn't believe this if I hadn't seen it work out. My kid has had at least a half dozen in person meetings about this. I am actually a very hands off parent but at some point my kid said "help! I don't know what to do". These are the first emails I have sent to a teacher/administrator/school on behalf of my child since 5th grade. |
Anonymous
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The withdrawn class and the added class are with the same professor?
I’d probably try to get a meeting with the department chair. Is there an admin who controls their calendar? |
Anonymous
yes, both by the same professor. My kid had a meeting with the departmental chair who was surprised by this: "huh, this doesn't make any sense" and said they would look into this. However, they have not gotten back to my child and have ignored subsequent emails (2, sent a week apart each). My kid reached out to the academic dean who has ignored this entirely. There seem to be some weird departmental dynamics, etc. that we have fallen into the midst of. |
Anonymous
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Oh and departmental chair has ignored my kid's request for a follow-up meeting.
Short of standing outside his/her door and pouncing my kid has no idea how to get a follow-up conversation. It's really insane. Which is why I was thinking that it might just be easier to file a formal dispute if the university has a process of mediation that they use. This has been going on for 6 weeks and is taking up all sorts of mental energy and stress that my kid doesn't have. I am watching it from many states away. |
Anonymous
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Unless the grade is impacting your kid now because they need a clean transcript for applications or something, I’d focus on helping your kid stay calm while they continue to work to address it, which may take many more weeks. There are undoubtedly departmental dynamics at play here, and it sounds like the prof may not like your kid, which I’m sure doesn’t help. This is a priority for your kid but not for the department chair.
If it is truly time sensitive due to external deadlines, is the chair aware? |
Anonymous
No, there is no impact now but I fear that this isn't going to magically resolve itself and will only get more difficult the longer time goes on... i.e. when the semester ends which will be here before we know it. My kid is a freshman; the professor didn't even know him/her when this happened. |
Anonymous
Agree with this |
Anonymous
OP here. Yes, but how does my kid "continue to address it?" can you help with a game plan? he doesn't know what to do. |
Anonymous
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Call an education lawyer in the town your kid is in, and send them a retainer. They will fix it. Most college towns have lawyers who do things like this routinely.
Also ask the lawyer about getting 504 accommodations in place for your kid’s anxiety. -lawyer |