Parent questions honors placement after eighth-grade student with high averages not assigned to honors

A Temple Hill Academy parent told the Newberg and Large City School District board on July 15 that her eighth-grade daughter, Sophie, earned straight A averages across four quarters but was told she would not be placed in honors for 2025–26 because the single honors section was at capacity. The parent asked the board to ensure consistent, district-wide standards for honors and advanced-course placement. Megan Tantorno presented report-card averages for Sophie — four quarterly averages of 94.4, 95.2, 94.4 and 94.4 — and described conversations with Temple Hill Principal Alfred Ratacchio and a district curriculum official identified in the transcript as Lisa Sota. Tantorno said the principal told her there was only one honors class with 27 students and that some similarly performing students were not assigned because a second honors section was not offered. She said the district official reported teachers had cited late work and absenteeism as reasons for denying honors placement, and that the official told her those late assignments were accepted "and gave her full credit," which the parent said did not align with her daughter's grades and the report-card records. Tantorno asked the board to confirm that honors-placement requirements are applied consistently across schools and to consider capacity and staffing when approving course offerings. The transcript records no immediate board action; the matter was raised during the public comment portion of the meeting. The parent requested assurance that standards applied at Temple Hill are the same district-wide and asked the board to consider budget or staffing solutions to allow students who meet performance standards to enroll in honors courses. The board did not provide a written response on the record at the meeting, and the transcript shows the speaker was timed out before completing all remarks. District staff or the curriculum office may follow up through established channels; the transcript does not record such a follow-up at the meeting.