Palo Alto

Gunn High School Students Outraged After AP Exam Violations

Gunn High School students are infuriated after the school district notified them Tuesday that some students will need to retake their AP exams.

Over 150 students taking at least five exams ranging from calculus to physics were found to be sitting too close together and were not given different versions of the tests, according to Jorge Quintana, spokesman for the Palo Alto Unified School District.

Principal Denise Hermann sent a letter to parents and students explaining the error and accepting responsibility.

"It was very hard message to send to students," she said. "I know how hard they work to prepare."

Students are firing back against the mistake that they say is the school's fault.

"When it was all over with, I thought I had a big weight off my shoulders and then discovered some were invalidated," said student Emily Cao. "I'm upset it happened."

Over 900 people have signed an online petition to cancel all year-end assignments and dedicate that class time to re-studying for the exams that have been rescheduled.

Hermann said teachers are now working with affected students to lighten their loads.

Retesting begins Thursday with Calculus, followed by Biology on Friday, Environmental Science on May 25 and two Physics C exams on May 26.  

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