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Detroit Graduates Lose Job Offer After Being Told Diploma’s Are Not Legitimate

After 12 years of striving for their high school diplomas, two former students of a Detroit academy are told there’s “no proof” of their accolades.

Miona Jones and her friend are having a rough time securing a potential job because employers are unable to locate proof of their diplomas.

“Chrysler called and they wanted proof and they wanted proof of my high school diploma,” Jones explained to WJBK. “I sent them the diploma but there is no proof of the school.”

The graduate said the car dealership wasn’t able to verify she or her friend Devanni Robinson’s education. The two women graduated from Detroit Cares Alternative Academy in 2012, but there’s no proof of their schooling.

“I worked 12 years, fighting in school, fighting to be top of my class and you tell me it was all for nothing?” Jones asked.

She and Robinson tried obtaining their school records from The Detroit Public Schools Community District and one of the representatives told the women that “they had no records of our transcripts, diplomas stating that we graduated, nothing.”

Jones said the opportunity to work for Chrysler is a dead end “thanks to the Detroit Public School system and Rev. Sheffield” who led the nonprofit that ran Detroit Cares Alternative Academy until it permanently closed in 2012.

“The Detroit Public Schools is responsible for the management and the maintenance of these records,” Rev. Horace Sheffield told Fox 2 by mobile. “All of this has been submitted by us and somewhere along the line, some of these records have been lost, misplaced or I’m not sure what happened.”

A DPSCD spokesperson admitted the district failed to input student records into their system while they were under emergency management in 2011 and 2012. The district told the news station they plan on updating the records for students.

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