Jim Thorpe Area School Board members recently passed a policy aimed at making class rank equitable between longtime students and students who transfer into the district.

The school district's superintendent has agreed to implement the policy, but has pointed out that it could deter people who are thinking about enrolling at the high school.Starting next month, students who transfer into Jim Thorpe school district will not have their grades from their former school put toward their class rank. And starting with the class of 2018, students will be required to attend school in the district for two years before they would be eligible to be valedictorian or salutatorian.School board members argue that different districts grade differently, and the policy would ensure that all students are judged on the same scale."Some schools might have a more rigorous program, some schools might have a less rigorous program. So this proposal would be based on their educational experience and grades at our high school," Randall Smith said.Jim Thorpe is the first school in the county to implement a policy regarding students transferring from other districts. Up until now, they have accepted all grades from other schools, as do most other districts in the area.In Pleasant Valley, only students who have been enrolled in the district for four semesters, two of which are in their senior year, are considered for top honors, according to the district handbook. They must earn at least 12 credits taking Pleasant Valley School District courses.Some board members are concerned that a student coming from an "easier" school district could get a high class rank at Jim Thorpe. And on the opposite side, that a student coming from a more difficult school could be penalized for getting slightly lower grades there."There was a young lady, her class ranking was bumped because of someone coming in. She's not out of my head right now. She did get bumped, and she was a very nice student," Pearl Downs-Sheckler said.The board voted 6-2 to pass the policy, but members said they will rely on administrators to implement it. Gasper says he is up to the task, but has some reservations.Gasper said he talked to officials in about 10 local school districts, and none of them have such a policy.Furthermore, he said, he had reservations that the policy would be perceived as passing judgment on the way that other districts educate their students, despite the fact that public schools all have the same accreditation."For us to judge what people are doing in another school district, we are all held to the same standard. So I don't necessarily want to get into judging other schools either," Gasper said.Board President Michael Principe said that the policy is typical among colleges and many high schools, just not locally.Gasper said that he would do his best to carry out the board's directive."Just because other districts aren't doing it, I'm not opposed to looking at things outside the box. I have full trust in myself and my team. This is what we do on a daily basis," he said."But I am putting out there, that initially, I am having some concerns."