Homeless Teen Denied Diploma, Missed Regents Exam During Eviction

This story's as sad as it is stupid: The state is refusing to validate a makeup English Regents exam taken by a Brooklyn High School senior, because she missed taking the test on the day her family was evicted. Last week Rosa Bracero, a student at Brooklyn's High School for Civil Rights, was stuck at a shelter when the test was administered. Though she insisted she needed to leave to take the 1:15 p.m. exam in order to earn her diploma, staffers at the city's family intake shelter told her they'd be denied shelter if the teen left. Given the choice between sleeping on the streets in January and taking a test, Bracero opted for survival.

But even though the school let her take the test on Friday, the state invalidated the results because regulations forbid makeup Regents exams to discourage cheating. "I'm homeless so I have to be set back in my goals for my life?" Rosa, 17, asked the Daily News. "Isn't it enough that I'm homeless?" State officials say she can take the exam again in June, but she's in academic limbo until then, despite being accepted into Lincoln Technical Institute and acing the entrance exam with a score of 490 out of a possible 500 on the English assessment.

Rosa's mother lost her job as an administrative assistant last April, and they were evicted last month after falling behind on rent. This is just the latest homeless experience for the teen; a decade ago her family was homeless. She moved various between shelters and elementary schools before finally getting accepted into a gifted and talented program in Manhattan. "I'm tired of being without a home," says Rosa. "I love learning ... but I want to further my education so I can get a job. I want to help take care of my family."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on February 4, 2010 11:30 AM

Comments [rss]

Geoelh

Stupid Americans with their entrance exams for everything. Stupid Board for being so callous.

WorksInDUMBO

This story sounds kind of dodgy.

At the very least, wouldn't her mother be at the shelter, making sure there was a spot for her (and the rest of her family)? Why would they make their place in the shelter contingent upon the presence of a teenage member of the family?

Also, I can't imagine what kind of shelter doesn't allow a child to leave at 1:15 on a weekday to attend to a school matter. It doesn't make sense.

jaycjay

Read the rules at the above DHS link. It says that families must go to the intake center in person. Why? Probably because they want to verify that you do really do need as much space as you say you do. So a parent can't show up and say that there are also a couple of kids.

robingee

Yes, why would she have to remain there to physically save her space - was she alone?

whyyyy

this is dumb on the part of the homeless shelter system, but she'll still graduate with the rest of her class. what i don't understand is, why did her high school waste everyone's time and tell her to "make up" the exam if it's clearly not allowed?

Cranky Old Man

So, suck it up and take the exam in June. Wouldn't it look better if she spent the next 5 months engaged in some positive activity combined with some study of an advanced subject. Like maybe volunteering or some kind of internship? Because now, she looks like a whiner and a troublemaker and that's not going to be a positive if she's looking to get into a good school.

robingee

How does she look like a whiner or troublemaker?? I am so sick of you people and your holier-than-thou bullcrap, like everything in life just works out the way it should all the time and any problems anyone has is all their fault. Have you never had a damn setback in your life? Jerk.

eat vegans

Lets see how well you do as a homeless 17 year old in January.

art

Cranky Old Man? Cold Hearted Bastard more like it. people like you should just die and leave the air you would have breathed to actual human beings. your comments are vile, you are a pathetic excuse of a homo sapien.

Spirit of 76

Poor kid. I hate bureaucrats. Always have, always will.

Think2wice

Amen.

scUzy

How is she being denied her diploma? if its just one regents she's missing, she can still take it in June.

Steven

There is a set of regents students need to pass to get the diploma. You can pass the class, but fail the regents and still be declined.

Think2wice

I pray that things work out for her, that she attains financial independence, and get out of this purgatory of cyclical poverty.

Ishtar

It doesn't seem like she was living in poverty before, her family just wasn't rolling in the dough. Let most people go without work for that long in a city this expensive and they would likely see the same results: sitting in a grimy intake center in order to get placed in a grimy homeless/temp housing shelter.

yincrash

what happened to the carole post tax story that was right before this one?

whitecastlerock

I was wondering the same thing... Maybe a call from his royal highness forced its removal.

eastbwayanglo

Hey, can't hate on the choice of school in her circumstances - four years of no income is tough when your family can't be there for you financially.

Despite this, she seems like an ideal candidate for those community college to CUNY to biochemist success stories they advertise on the subway. Has she filled out a FAFSA?

Steven

This is a joke. How can you cheat on a English test anyway with essays?

The last time I took it the test had 4 essays and I believe it's the same format now as well.

Darrell

It was wrong of the shelter, but that's what happens when your in this sort of situation. As for LTI, I was hopping for a better story that didn't end in mediocrity. Oh well.