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The student website of Van Nuys High School
Van Nuys, California
The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

High School Journalist’s Investigation Leads to the Resignation of Principal

By Chelsea Ma

The Mirror
Staff Writer

By Gina Kim

The Mirror
Staff Writer

The principal’s degrees came from what was revealed to be a diploma mill where people could buy degrees, diplomas, and certificates without the proper accredited education.

FEATURE

High School Journalist’s Investigation Leads to the Resignation of Principal

April 26, 2017

FEATURE: New administrator forced to resign after students discover that her credentials were worthless.


Student editors and reporters at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Kansas revealed shocking news regarding their new principal, Amy Robertson.

Student journalists at the school’s newspaper, the Booster Redux, in the southeastern Kansas town discovered that their principal had provided false education credentials, resulting in her resignation after a thorough investigation.

Maddie Baden, a junior and staff member, was assigned to lead the task of assembling the principal’s profile, a story she thought would be routine getting-to-know-you article. The teacher and newspaper advisor, Emily Smith, did not expect the reporting to lead to questions about Robertson’s education credentials.

Through a series of detailed investigations, Baden became suspicious about Robertson’s responses, which did not add up. Little details seemed off, encouraging the students’ curiosity.

As Robertson became increasingly evasive, Smith advised her students to continue pushing the principal for clearer responses.

Following Smith’s advice, the student journalists were able to discover that Robertson’s education credentials weren’t credible. They first researched Corllins University, the private university where Robertson claimed to have gotten her master’s and doctorate degrees.

When they tried looking it up, there was no evidence that it was an accredited university. After weeks of conducting further research, they discovered that Corllins University was not accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. In fact, the school has no physical address.

The principal’s degrees came from what was revealed to be a diploma mill where people could buy degrees, diplomas, and certificates without the proper accredited education.

After the superintendent was informed of the principal’s lack of legitimate credentials, the school board held an emergency meeting, where it was announced that Robertson had resigned from her $93,000 a year position.

The students and Smith met up with superintendent, Destry Brown, who congratulated them and encouraged them to continue with their work.

The story gained international attention and was prominently featured in major newspapers and on television news reports.

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