A pilot program at Stevenson High School in which students could pay money for excused absences, to skip tests and homework assignments sounded too good to be true. It was.
A hoax letter, written on what appeared to be official Stevenson High School stationery, announced a new pilot program for the school’s freshman that would allow students to “make financial donations to ease academic and extracurricular obligations.”
Ranging from excused tardies to test exemptions, students could make a series of donations to “receive rewards.” For $20, a student could receive five extra credit points or for $35 they could get out of a test.
The letter said donated funds would be used to improve the school’s infrastructure, provide new technology in department offices and relieve budgetary constraints for teachers.
Dated July 8 and signed by a fake administrator, the letter began making its way around social media and email Wednesday.
The school quickly debunked the letter with a message on its Facebook page by Wednesday afternoon.
The post read:
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“There is a fake Stevenson letter being circulated via social media, claiming students can pay donations for excusing tardies and homework, receiving extra credit, and test exemptions. This is a hoax, and IS NOT a Stevenson letter, program, or from a Stevenson employee. This is not something the District would ever endorse.”
Some comments on the Facebook post said the letter didn’t seem too far out of the “realm of possibility” given Illinois’ school funding woes, but they were relieved to hear the program was in fact a hoax.
Others said it was just a matter of time before the letter becomes reality.
