Student Gets C, Sues Lehigh University For $1.3 Million
Megan Thode, a graduate from Lehigh University, is suing the school for $1.3 million after receiving a C+ grade in a course that allegedly kept her out of a preferred graduate program. The trial is already in progress.
Thode at the time was pursuing a master’s in counseling and human services when she received the C+ grade in a fieldwork course in 2009. In order to stay in the program, she needed a B.
She claims to have received the lower grade because she did not get any credit for class participation. She unsuccessfully challenged the grade with school officials before pressing for suit.
According to the Morning Call:
“Thode ended up graduating from Lehigh with a master’s degree in human development — which is also offered through the College of Education — and now works as a drug-and-alcohol counselor. The $1.3 million she is seeking represents the difference in her earning power over her career if she was instead a state-certified counselor, according to (her lawyer).”
According to New York Daily News, Thode raised other allegations also:
“Thode claims her teacher gave her a ‘zero’ for class participation because she complained about having to take on an extra internship. That low mark, allegedly the result of human bias, left Thode with the C grade, her lawyer said. The lawsuit also claims that Thode was marked down in her class because she was an advocate for gay and lesbian rights.”
It is also important to mention that Megan Thode’s father teaches at the school and therefore she attended the school without paying any tuition, while attending another Pennsylvania school.
Paul Hudson | Elite.
