DOE Clarifies Bronx High School Prom Not Canceled Over Graduation Rate

A Bronx high school principal who allegedly had said she would cancel prom if every student in the senior class did not graduate on time now says she told students the event would be nixed only if they did not show commitment to earning their diplomas on schedule, the Department of Education tells NBC 4 New York.

The New York Post had reported that Bronxdale College Institute for Math and Science principal Shadia Alvarez hung a poster in the hallway near her office last week that said prom would be canceled if the senior class fell short of a 100 percent graduation rate.

Asked by the Post about the poster, Alvarez told the paper through a school staffer that she had no idea which poster it was inquiring about.

She later told the DOE that there was no such ultimatum, saying the school has high expectations and she only told students the prom would be canceled if they did not try.

The prom is not canceled, DOE said. 

The school is on track to have a 90 percent graduation rate, which is substantially above the city's 66 percent average, according to the Post.

Only seven schools in New York City recorded a 100 percent graduation rate in 2012, and all of those schools have special enrollment requirements, the paper reported.

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