When West Point High School in Mississippi named Ikeria Washington and Layla Temple, two Black female students, as the Class of 2021’s valedictorian and salutatorian respectively, the crowd let out an audible gasp and then burst out in applause, the New York Time reported.  It was the first time in anyone’s memory that the school had had two Black students take the school’s top honors, even though the town is majority Black.

Within days, however, school administrators had modified their rankings, breaking decades of tradition by naming two other students as co-valedictorian and co-salutatorian, Emma Berry and Dominic Borgioli, both of whom are white.  Administrators say the addition was made because of a calculation error by a school counselor.

The decision to strip Ikeria and Layla of their solo honors has torn the northwest Mississippi town of West Point apart, largely along racial lines, though school officials have said race had nothing to do with their decision. 

Lawsuits from bitter parents who felt their students were slighted by schools for not getting honors they thought were deserved.  With scholarships, not just class honors, on the line, losing such honors could cost a student thousands of dollars in grants and scholarships.

In West Point High School’s case, the issue comes down to how the grade point averages of the students were calculated.  Ikeria and Layla were named top students based on what’s known as “Quality Point Average,” or QPA, which is a weighted average where classes such as advanced placement, honors and dual credit courses are given more weight than standard classes.  That system rewards students who take more difficult courses.

Emma and Dominic, on the other hand, had higher grades in less challenging cases, giving students who take an easier course load a better chance at getting better grades, and therefore the ability to “out rank” those students taking harder classes.

The student handbook said that the valedictorian and salutatorian would be determined by those with the highest grades, without weighing the course difficulty.  The superintendent of the school district, Burnell McDonald, opted to honor both, saying that the handbook was clear.

On graduation night, when all four students made speeches, Layla declared herself the “true salutatorian” to open her speech.  The school board superintendent, however, took the plan for he error.

“Bottom line, school board, I apologize,” the superintendent, McDonald, told the audience. “You charged me with doing what I really believe is right by your students despite race, color, socioeconomic, whatever. God knows when I make a decision for kids, my heart is for kids and doing the right thing. So I ask you, please, for tonight, let’s make our graduates feel special.”