A Lexington County high school’s accreditation status has been restored by the state after multiple students were allowed to graduate without completing required course work.

The state Department of Education downgraded Brookland-Cayce High School’s status in June 2022 following an audit that revealed the errors in enforcing requirements but has now restored the school’s accreditation to the highest level after Lexington County School District 2 took necessary corrective action.

“The SCDE appreciated the District’s efforts and cooperation in addressing the noncompliance identified through the transcript audit and recognizes that the District has made significant progress in resolving these matters,” state Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver writes in a letter to Lexington 2, a copy of which her office provided to the Chronicle.

The district says it received the letter on Feb. 10.

“This is a testament and affirmation of the work we have been focusing on across the District – from our middle and high school counselors, to our school-level educators and administrators – to keep the focus on a quality education for all of our students,” Lexington 2 Superintendent Brenda Hafner, who was hired just before the accreditation issue began in June, writes in a letter to district families and staff about the upgrade to Brookland-Cayce’s status.

“Our teachers at Brookland-Cayce High School, and at all of our schools, have worked hard to ensure that our students have always and will continue to receive a quality education that prepares them to be college or career ready, workforce ready, or military bound, knowing that our ultimate goal is that they return to be productive citizens in a community that is rich in tradition and history.”

The district provided a full accounting of the corrective action plan it put in place to have its accreditation status restored. The plan includes training for counselors, registrars, administrators and other staff on how to correctly handle transcripts and assembling a team of trained staff members to monitor for transcript errors each year.

The plan also includes the creation of a district expectation and documentation form to keep track of students who need to make up time for lack of attendance and an overhaul of the district’s process for students to recover necessary class credits.

In her letter, Weaver confirms that these steps have been laid out and implemented.

“The District ...  appreciates the guidance and support of the S.C. Department of Education, which helped us further strengthen our processes to better serve our Lexington 2 students,” Hafner writes.