Rob Ahlin: Kestrel offered full disclosure

For years the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offered phony courses, primarily to benefits its athletes. Yet for all the hand-wringing, no academic department was eliminated, nor was a single game canceled.

Ten miles east, Durham’s Kestrel Heights Charter School has issued diplomas to students having not met all the requirements. Unlike its Chapel Hill counterpart, Kestrel Heights apparently acted unintentionally, and the administration reported the matter voluntarily. Yet there is talk of eliminating the high school division or even closing the school altogether.

Does Kestrel Height, which serves a number of low-income families, really deserve harsher treatment than its rich and prestigious neighbor to the west? Or is it simply a matter of Carolina being too big to fail?

This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 6:54 PM with the headline "Rob Ahlin: Kestrel offered full disclosure."