Dozens of El Paso High School students' SAT answer sheets were lost after they flew from the UPS truck transporting them. The school district was able to recover all but 55, which means those unlucky students may have to retake their tests.
A video on social media appeared to show Scantron sheets scattered across El Paso's Mesa Street. EPHS senior Freddy Chavez has been credited on Instagram for taking the cell phone footage.
"I just saw a bunch of papers everywhere," he told KTSM 9 News in El Paso. "I had no idea what it was. I didn't think much of it all."
The SAT is a standardized test required for applying to many American colleges and universities. The College Board, which administers the test, said that 1.7 million students in the high school class of 2022 took the SAT at least once.
The El Paso Independent School District said it's working with the College Board to "determine a remedy for the El Paso High School students whose SAT exams were lost in transit after they were securely submitted to UPS," according to KTSM.
EPISD's chief communications officer Liza Rodriguez did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment.
KFOX14 reported that EPHS senior Ezra Ponzio was planning to apply to Texas A&M University early, but the loss of his test means he no longer can.
"UPS, just try your best to make it right with us," he told the station.
In a statement shared with NPR, UPS said, "We have apologized to the school and extend our apologies to the students. Our employees worked to recover as many tests as possible. The driver's actions in this case are not representative of UPS protocols and methods, and we have addressed this with him."
Students who are interested in taking the ACT, which is also used for applying to college, will be eligible for waivers to take the test at no cost. [Copyright 2022 NPR]
