(WSVN) – He is a very good high school football player, offered a college scholarship by many schools but he can’t get into college because of what a school he went to in the ninth-grade is not doing, and that’s when he turned to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser for help.
Bridgette Reid has worked hard to raise five wonderful children and reminds them to follow in her footsteps.
Bridgette Reid: “Everyone works and go to school. That’s the rule. You got to stay home with mom. You got to work, go to school, you have no time for nothing else.”
Her youngest is Caleb.
Bridgette Reid: “This is my baby. My little bitty baby.”
Caleb is not quite little, Bridgette and the six foot-three, 230 pound high school senior is also one heck of a football player.
Caleb Turner-Allen: “I love being the most dominant person on the field. It takes everybody, like my teammates, to accomplish one goal.”
After making the Miami Herald’s all county team, several schools offered Caleb a football scholarship. He chose Western Carolina.
Caleb Turner-Allen: “A dream.”
But as signing day approached, a problem appeared.
Bridgette Reid: “They could not officially offer him a scholarship because he was not yet NCAA eligible.”
Caleb is graduating from Michael Krop High School, but in the ninth grade, he went to a small private place called St. Anthony’s School of Higher Education.
Bridgette Reid: “They are not registered with NCAA. If the school is not accredited by the NCAA, they can’t make him eligible to receive a Division One scholarship.”
The solution seemed simple. Bridgette was told the private school had to submit 17 documents so Caleb’s credits from there would count.
Things like daily class schedule, visitor policy, current course catalog.
Bridgette Reid: “NCAA told me that once the school submitted everything, it would just take them 10 days to review it and make a decision.”
That was in January.
Bridgette was told to talk to the owner of the school, Johnny Gaspard, who happens to be a lawyer.
Bridgette Reid: “He wanted to stress that he had, no legal obligations, because our school does not have an athletic program. But my question is, what about his moral or ethical obligation?”
For four months, Bridgette has tried to get Gaspard to submit the paperwork so Caleb can get that scholarship.
Bridgette Reid: “Well, a college education, so we’re talking $350, $400,000 to go out of state.”
Caleb worked hard, like Bridgette taught him, to get the scholarship, but it won’t happen if a school he attended in the ninth grade doesn’t submit some paperwork.
Bridgette Reid: “So St. Anthony’s School of Higher Education, why deny him a higher education? I don’t, I don’t understand.”
Well, Howard, does the private school have to turn in the paperwork?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “There is no law the school has to turn in the paperwork. But when you sign a contract with a private school, it’s implied they will act in good faith to further your education, If the paperwork is not turned in, it could be a violation of the contract and open the school up to a lawsuit.”
I spoke to Johnny Gaspard who owns the private K-12 school with only 60 students.
He told me he doesn’t believe it’s on him to to the paperwork. He blamed the high school Caleb attended.
Miami-Dade School district says that’s not true and officials have tried to appeal to the owner/operator for the private school to see if we could assist them with the process but they didn’t get anywhere.
More weeks passed by, and finally some progress from St. Anthony’s School of Higher Education.
I spoke to the NCAA and was told now the school is currently working with the NCAA on the process but, has not finished yet.
And Caleb fears they won’t finish.
Caleb Turner-Allen: “You work hard all your high school career.”
Bridgette Reid: “He’s been getting depressed about it.”
And Bridgette says if Gaspard doesn’t complete the process, Caleb won’t get his college education.
Bridgette Reid: “I would say to him, ‘What if it was your child. What would you do? What if it was your child?’”
It seems so simple to do. Almost every high school has done what the NCAA is asking.
We will be watching to see if Gaspard’s school can finish what is needed for Caleb.
Blocked from solving a problem? Want someone to tackle it? Pass it over to us so we can try to complete the process for you.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
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