Students and parents urge Connellsville Area School Board to reinstate class rank, cite college application concerns

Students, parents and community members pressed the Connellsville Area School Board during public comment to reconsider its decision to eliminate class rank, saying the change harms students applying to colleges and that district systems do not show weighted GPAs used for competitive admissions.

"I'm Natalie Magus, and I'm here to ask you again to hear us when we tell you that we want class rank," said Natalie Magus, a senior who urged the board to restore the traditional honors system and allow both systems if necessary so students can see where they stand. "Every application that I have filled out for college has asked for GPA and class rank."

Ben Metzger, who described juggling early work shifts and long drives to school, said higher-level courses push students to excel and removing rank discourages students who "thrive off of that stress." Julian Smith, another student speaker, emphasized that AP and honors courses are chosen for challenge and that removing rank removes an important motivator for those students.

Parent and community comments stressed process and notice. "When this change was voted on two years ago, there was no advance notice given," Robin Turlington said, asking the board to provide clearer notification to families and to schedule a new vote so parents and students can understand the effects.

Board members and staff discussed how colleges receive certified GPA data. A high school counselor explained that counselors set the formula and that certified GPA information is sent directly to colleges, but that the student portal currently displays cumulative unweighted GPA. "I checked as we were speaking here, and it's set to show their cumulative unweighted GPA," the counselor said, noting that the system can display weighted GPA but that making that change is a counseling-office action rather than a district IT-only fix.

Parents sought clearer interim access to weighted GPA figures so students can complete applications accurately. Speakers described a prior case in which a certified GPA took months to reach a college, creating uncertainty for applicants. Several asked the board to either restore class rank or at least ensure students and families have timely, certified access to the weighted GPA used for admissions.

The board did not take an immediate vote on reinstating class rank during public comment. Multiple board members and at least one member of the board indicated they would place the matter back on a future agenda for further consideration and possible action.

The district also heard broader requests for transparency about how and when families are notified of policy changes; speakers asked for email notification in addition to handbook updates or newspaper notices. The board closed public comment and moved to follow-up technical conversations with counseling and administrative staff.