High school graduate Sawyer Hays scored so well on an academic assessment test that a nearby Mississippi community college offered him a scholarship. But when admissions officers took a closer look at his transcript and saw that he’d been homeschooled, they put him on academic probation.

Sawyer’s parents, David and Marsha Hays, contacted the college to ask why his scholarship and status as a student were being subject to unwarranted scrutiny.  Officials said it was because they couldn’t be certain about the validity of Sawyer’s high school grades.

That’s when the Hayses called HSLDA. We were able to resolve the situation.

“There’s no question that Sawyer is a good student,” HSLDA Senior Counsel Darren Jones said. “His ACT score ranked him above eighty percent of test-takers. So it was hard to interpret the college’s actions toward him as anything other than discrimination, something HSLDA has been battling for more than four decades.”

“Colleges don’t typically reward a homeschooled student’s achievements and then penalize him at the same time,” noted Jones. “This was the first time I’ve ever run across this.”

Setting Low Standards

The college’s contradictory attitude also surprised Sawyer and his parents.

He’s the fourth of eight children to have graduated from the family’s homeschool program. His older siblings attended a different community college in Mississippi and encountered no difficulties with their homeschool diplomas and transcripts.

Sawyer based his choice of college on the fact that it offered him a scholarship, so he was taken aback when his acceptance letter said that to remain enrolled he would have to earn six credit hours with a minimum grade-point average of 1.5. This equates to a grade-point average between a C- and D+.

“It didn’t make a lot of sense,” said Marsha, noting that Sawyer had already taken one class at the college through dual enrollment and had earned an A. “It’s almost an insult to say you have to earn just a 1.5 GPA.”

When she and her husband asked the college to clarify, officials responded: “Since homeschooled students do not receive the same standardized high school GPA calculations used for traditional high school graduates, they are initially admitted under a conditional status.”

Taking a Closer Look

Jones contacted the college on behalf of Sawyer. He pointed out that his parents had homeschooled him in compliance with state law, which recognizes what it calls “legitimate home instruction programs.” He added that state agencies are urged by the law to respect homeschools and not interfere in their operation, which includes assessing students and issuing grades.

“I also noted that the college’s website declares the school to be an equal opportunity institution in education and employment,” said Jones. “And yet here they were, imposing restrictions on a student based solely on the fact that he came from a particular class of student—those who were homeschooled.”

Based on these points, Jones asked the college to re-evaluate Sawyer’s status.

A week later the family received positive news. In a letter to Sawyer, college officials announced that they had re-examined his credentials—especially his ACT score and dual-enrollment grade—and had removed him from probation.

David and Marsha said that even though the college did not pledge to revise its overall policy, they hope that Sawyer’s experience will help smooth the path for other homeschool graduates who apply to the school.

“One homeschooling family we know said they were thankful we challenged the probation ruling,” David observed. “So maybe this will help someone else.”

Meanwhile, Sawyer is fully engaged in working toward a computer programming degree, having signed up for 17 credit hours this semester. He is interested in using what he learns to provide logistical support for missionaries.

“We are so happy to have assisted this family,” Jones observed, “though their case does illustrate that even after decades of advocacy in this area there is still more to do to fight discrimination. It’s hard to believe that some institutions continue to treat certain graduates with suspicion just because they were home-educated. But when that does happen, HSLDA is here to help.”