Tyler’s story: One bad decision didn’t derail graduation plans

As soon as it happened, Tyler knew he'd made a huge mistake.

And it didn't take long for every student in the school to hear about how the 17-year-old senior had dropped his pants to moon a television news crew that was on campus that day. But no one from the school's front office immediately addressed Tyler's tactless indiscretion — and as the day went on, he began to wonder whether they'd missed his stunt altogether.

They hadn't. The next day, as he arrived on campus, Tyler was met by one of the school's assistant principals. She had received photographs of the incident from the television crew — and, of course, she wasn't amused.

"So that's how I got kicked out of school," Tyler said. "I was about a week away from the end of the first semester and since I didn't finish the semester, they didn't let me leave with any credits, so I had to restart the entire year."

Tyler enrolled in day and night classes in a local adult school, "I tried to work double time so that I could finish on time," he said, "but I came up a little short."

That's when Tyler got a call from the NoDropouts program. School leaders had no choice but to react sternly to his tomfoolery, but they still cared about him. They wanted to make sure that Tyler and other students who couldn't or wouldn't attend a traditional high school still had the opportunity to graduate. That's why the Hillsborough County Public School District partnered with NoDropouts, which facilitates NoDropouts programs with more than 40 other districts nationwide. The budget-neutral program is easy to implement and a proven way to turn dropouts into diploma holders.

In October of 2011, Tyler became the first NoDropouts graduate in the state of Florida. And hundreds of other students were lined right up behind him.

Reflecting on his antics now, Tyler knows he "messed up" — and he's glad that he was given an opportunity to ensure that a split-second decision didn't haunt him for the rest of his life.

Do you know a Tyler? We can help you help him. For more information, call us at 855-NO-DROPOUTS or send an e-mail to info@nodropouts.com