ALEXANDRIA — Campbell County High School was vandalized with spray-painted profanities early Friday, three days after seniors were told they would have to redo writing portfolios because of teachers' errors.

        After school administrators found improper editing on students' work, Principal Stephen Sorrell confiscated all 325 seniors' portfolios and told the class Tuesday they have to start over.

A worker removes graffiti from Campbell County High School Friday. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        The writing portfolios, required by the Kentucky Department of Education, are due to the state in early April. That gives students about seven weeks to reproduce the portfolios, which they have worked on since ninth grade.

        “Nobody I know is wanting to do this again,” said senior Ryan Hall, 17. He said the vandalism was an immature reaction but at least drew attention to the students' concerns.

        “They ripped four years of work away from us. That should be illegal.”

        Mr. Sorrell wouldn't elaborate on the types of errors made by teachers or whether they were a result of cheating or carelessness.

        “It's all being investigated,” he said.

        Police and school officials linked the vandalism to the students' anger over having to redo the portfolios. However, they stopped short of blaming seniors for the graffiti.

        School officials said they understood the burden on the students but that state guidelines require the work to be redone.

        “It was a mistake by the school, not the kids,” said Chris Gramke, a spokesman for the district. “I understand that the students are upset, but defacing school property isn't going to change anything. There are other ways to get their voices heard.”

        Staff members discovered the vandalism around 6 a.m. Friday. “Portfolio” was written several times around the building, along with other remarks and obscenities. School officials believe the vandalism occurred between midnight and 6 a.m.

        Police have no suspects. The vandals would face felony charges for criminal mischief.

        Several students agreed Friday that the vandalism was uncalled for. Some student clubs donated money toward a $1,000 reward for information on who vandalized the school.

        “They should've just went to Mr. Sorrell instead of ruining our school,” said senior Dana Rachford, 17.

        State officials discovered the portfolio errors in January during a review of the high school, prompted by the school's low marks on last year's state tests.

        Some teachers — it's unclear how many — “improperly developed” some of the students' portfolio work, which is restricted by the state, Mr. Gramke said.

        The state has detailed guidelines for what teachers can and cannot do to help students prepare portfolio work. Portfolios that violate these guidelines are given a score of zero, which can hurt a school's test scores.

        For example, teachers can mark on students' papers to point out an error but they cannot make corrections or revisions. That includes anything from inserting a comma to rewriting paragraphs.

        “The portfolio is to be a students' best work, not a revised version of that work,” said Lisa Gross, a spokeswoman for the state Education Department.

        All Campbell County teachers have been trained on portfolio procedures. All high school teachers, however, will be re-trained before the end of the school year, Mr. Gramke said.

        Students fear the school will not allow them to graduate if they don't redo the work.

        Although the state requires students to complete portfolios, there is no consequence for students if they do not submit one.

        It's the schools that would suffer because the incomplete portfolios would be given a score of zero and would bring down overall district scores.

        To prevent that, Campbell County High School requires the portfolios for graduation. However, the school council plans to review that policy in March, Mr. Sorrell said.

        The school is providing class time and assistance for the students to complete the portfolios.

        Patrick Stack contributed to this report.

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