It's just a tactic to make the graduation rates look better from what I gather from the article. Meh. When I was in high school in NM, you technically had until you were 21 to graduate anyway. I actually knew of a guy that was getting ready to be kicked out for being too old.
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"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton