A teen's failing art grade at Grove City High School has his mother, Debbie Pollio of Beatty Street, trying to figure out the math that produced his final grade in art class last year.

Her son Jonathan, now a senior at Grove City, received six grades during the six grading periods last year in art ranging from a low of 85 to a high of 100. But his final grade was a 60 because she said he did not write a paragraph to describe his final project.

"I was flabbergasted," said Mrs. Pollio, herself a senior at Slippery Rock University.

When she was finally able to discuss the situation with the principal and art teacher at the beginning of this school year, she was told that it was school board policy to fail the student for the entire class if his final project does not pass. She asked the board to reconsider the policy.

"If that's the case, its way too strict. I've been in school for the past five years, and at Slippery Rock, the grade would average out; it wouldn't bomb everything," she said.

Mrs. Pollio presented some of the art work her son had created for art class, such as pottery bowls and vases, to the school board Monday. When asked by a school board member why it took her so long to respond to the failing grade, she explained that when grades came out during the summer, the teachers were gone, and she herself has been in college while her son has been busy in school this year.

The final project last year was to create a sculpture to describe himself and Jonathan used skateboards in the project.

"He was under the impression or misunderstanding that he could explain it verbally," Mrs. Pollio said. "But to fail all this work for one little paragraph?"

She said that her son has attention deficit disorder and that school has been a struggle.

"You do not crush talented people. He is already failing this year in art and wants to withdraw. I think he lost his momentum," Mrs. Pollio said.

School Superintendent Dr. Robert Post told Mrs. Pollio after her presentation that he and the school board will look into the issue. "We will discuss this ... to give us a chance to understand this. I will respond to you," he said.