Parents File Lawsuit against Texas School for Changing Student Grades

Upset parents in one Texas town have followed through on their threats, suing a lawsuit against a school superintendent and the school district as a whole.

The parents claim that Daryl Henson, the superintendent of the Marlin Independent School District, has been changing students’ grades.

One parent who is part of the lawsuit, Monica Johnson, said her daughter Me’kia Mouling was the 2023 valedictorian at the district’s Marlin High School. But, she claims that the superintendent ultimately changed her grades unfairly, which dropped her down a few notches in the class ranking.

As Johnson said:

“Henson recalculated grades and it moved her to number three.”

Mouling is a freshman a Texas A&M University now.

While Henson changed those grades back, Johnson said, her daughter ended up tied with another student for the crown of valedictorian. 

It’s a story that’s been repeated by other parents, including Brandolyn Jones, who says both of her kids’ grades were lowered by the superintendent during the 2013 school year. 

The mother, whose children both attended Marlin High School that year, said her youngest son was affected the most, as his grades dropped drastically. As she said of her son:

“His science grade changed, and even more shocking, his real teacher was hanged to someone who was dead.”

Earlier this year, the two mothers reached out to a lawyer, who ultimately filed this lawsuit against Henson. Their suit documented multiple claims of wrongdoing, including retaliation under the First Amendment. 

Their suit is seeking damages that could total $1 million. As Jones commented:

“I want justice for Addai Jones and Praiyer Jones. I want my son’s grades restored to what they were.”

Jones added that she moved her youngest son, Addai, out of the school district entirely because she didn’t want to deal with the dishonesty that was happening at the high school.

Her oldest son, Praiyer, is currently a student at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette.

As for Johnson, she has a son who’s still attending Marlin High School. She also claims that his ranking in the 2024 class has dropped from 13th all the way to 24th.

But, she added, they are keeping a close eye on what is happening there with him. 

As she commented about the superintendent:

“He’s still retaliating because we’re suing him. It’s harassment. So, every day, I’m terrified of what he is going to do. I check weekly just so I can keep up with it. I don’t feel like I should have to do that.”

Ironically, Marlin High School has made the news for a controversy in the past. In 2023, Henson said the school’s graduation ceremony was being postponed.

He sent a letter to families that said most of the seniors in the class didn’t make the cut because of either low attendance records or grades. The ceremony was postponed to June by the school district so students could have additional time to catch up and reach the requirements to graduate.