Dylan Kyle Thomas receives his diploma from Habersham County Board of Education president Dr. Robert Barron in April 2015. Thomas is one of 144 former HCHS students to be awarded diplomas since HB91 was signed into law.
This past spring House Bill 91 (HB91) was signed into law. This law retroactively eliminates the Georgia High School Graduation Test as a requirement for former high school students to receive their diploma.
The Habersham County School System has awarded 144 high school diplomas to former students since HB 91 was signed into law on March 30, 2015. “This law is a good thing because it provides another opportunity for eligible former students to receive their high school diploma so they can expand their career, join the military, or enroll in college,” says Habersham County Director of Secondary Schools, Pam Dalton.
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Who’s eligible?
The law is effective for any student who has met all graduation requirements except passing any of the graduation tests (Georgia High School Graduation Test, Georgia High School Writing Test, Basic Skills Test). Any student not receiving a diploma solely for not passing any or all portions of the Georgia High School Graduation Test, Georgia High School Writing Test or Basic Skills Test may now be awarded a diploma if all other requirements were met.
How to apply
The Petition for Diploma form is now available on the Habersham Central High School Website (https://habershamcentral.ga.hch.schoolinsites.com/) and the Habersham Success Academy website (https://habershamcounty.ga.hca.schoolinsites.com/). To petition for a diploma, individuals must:
- Have entered 9th grade on or after July 1, 1981
- Find the Petition for Diploma form on the appropriate school’s homepage
- Complete the information in the fields provided on the petition
- Be sure the student signs the form
- Submit the form by mail or in person to Andrea Jones, Habersham County Schools Graduation Coach, at Habersham Central High School
- Andrea Jones can be reached by phone at Habersham Central High School at 706-778-7161, or by email at [email protected]
- Include a scanned/copied image of the student’s government issued photo identification
- Incomplete forms may encounter processing delays, but there is no deadline by which a petition may be submitted.
- Petitions will be approved on a monthly basis by the Habersham County Board of Education at its regular meeting, at 6:00 p.m. on the second Monday night of each month at the Board of Education Administrative offices, 132 Stanford Mill Road, Clarkesville, Ga.
Receiving your diploma
Petitioner will be notified by the graduation coach once the completed Petition for Diploma form is received and processed. Petitioners may attend the regular monthly meeting of the Habersham County Board of Education to receive their diplomas, or the diplomas may be picked up at Habersham Central High School any time following the regular monthly Board of Education meeting during which the diploma was conferred.
