TFJ News Flash: The SAT Fiasco and You

"Well, shucks," commented interim president Mr. Lynn.

If you were around at all during Friday afternoon, you were probably present for the festivities. Area students discovered pamphlets inside their boxes with vital statistics like our test scores, GPA, and class ranking. The forty-eight Palmetto Fellows nominees were listed in all, including this author, and none were too pleased.

Perhaps this is a resultant of the top-heavy GSSM power structure. Many corporations don't have five vice-presidents. It's easy to see how a disorganized Admin nearing the end of a long year could make the mistake. Specifically, the VP of Student Development mentioned to the Wiggins secretary that she was to make a copy of our individual Palmetto statistics as sent to the Department of Edcation and relay them to us. She interpreted this as meaning to send the entire ranking to each nominee. Likely, Caffee will be sending us a written apology begging forgiveness.

It's difficult to convey the stress of the situation. "I'm livid," said Ms. North as she yanked the papers from student's boxes. So was Admin. "Gerry," read a message Dr. Bill put on Caffee's machine, "I'm calling at 4:45 PM. We've got a major problem." Caffee, in one of those incredible convergences of coincidence, was at a funeral. Ms. Douglass, described by one stressed office employee as "inexperienced, and didn't know any different," wasn't aware of the legal ramifications. It's enough to make any GSSM foundation officer worry.

The Buckley amendment, created twenty years ago, is the song for the occasion. Covering student privacy, it goes so far as to prohibit professors posting test grades alongside social security numbers. The school has been so careful about it in the past that Dr. Bill described our concordance with it as "rock solid." Even on field trips, teachers aren't allowed to know information about us even like medical conditions. Some might say we follow it too strictly!

So the moral of the story here is not to kill the goose who laid the golden egg. The situation calls for forgiveness -- GSSM has done too much for us. Most of the people around here probably know our scores anyway, so let's don't go telling your parents that you're embarrased about what is probably a sky-high SAT score. All it takes is one of them to believe you, even if you're joking around. Lynn described the situation as "A screw-up. A big screw-up." Guys, let's leave it at that.