Suspended teacher hopes to speak on no-zero policy

The suspended high school teacher at the centre of a public uproar over grading in Edmonton’s public schools hopes to make a presentation at a special school board meeting next week.

"I'm not going to talk specifically about my suspension, but more just about the evaluation in general," said Lynden Dorval.

Earlier this month, the science teacher was suspended from Ross Sheppard High School for giving zeros on incomplete assignments. The grades that Lynden Dorval gave contravened the school’s policy of simply marking such assignments as incomplete.

Following the public outcry after the suspension, school board trustee Michael Janz put forward a motion for the board to review its grading policies. The motion was supposed to be considered in September, but is now listed on the agenda for a special meeting on Tuesday.

Dorval says he hopes to use the meeting as a chance to convince board members to take a closer look at no-zero policies.

"I feel almost obligated to at least say something that zeroes do work and that there is no research to say that it doesn't work," he said.

The meeting will be open to the public.

Currently, the school board leaves it up to individual principals whether to institute a no-zero policy in their schools.