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Kid genius just
can't get ahead

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/101278p-91697c.html

By JOE WILLIAMS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Angela Lipsman, 15, a genius who skipped high school to go to college, can't get her degrees without a diploma.

Angela Lipsman is a really smart kid, but a really, really dumb rule is keeping the 15-year-old from getting a college degree.
Angela, who skipped high school and went straight to college last year, has earned her associate's degree and is on her way to a bachelor's - but she can't have the sheepskins because she never got a high school diploma.

Even worse, the gifted girl's proud dad is being investigated by child protective services for alleged educational neglect - for letting his daughter go to college.

"It's not fair," said Angela, who has a 3.84 grade point average and 71 credits from Borough of Manhattan Community College and Fashion Institute of Technology. "I'm still going to school and I'm still getting an education."

The hard lesson came from an Albany judge who ruled against Angela's age-discrimination suit challenging the state Education Department's edict that kids have to stay in school until age 16 and can't get general equivalency diplomas until they turn 17.

Angela's father, retired teacher Daniel Lipsman, figures she'll have her bachelor's degree wrapped up by the time she turns 17 and will then get three diplomas at once - including the GED.

"It's very demoralizing," said Lipsman, who vowed that he'll "go to prison before my daughter goes to a city high school."

Albany Supreme Court Justice Bernard Malone blamed Lipsman for steering his brainy daughter to college after she completed eighth grade at Public School 187 in Washington Heights.

"Angela was not legally free to skip high school," Malone wrote this week in ruling against Angela.

He noted that Angela could have been declared a home-schooled student and placed in a fast-track program, or she could have attended high school programs that allow students to earn college credits simultaneously.

Dad will appeal

Lipsman said he probably will appeal the decision. But he was still holding out hope the city Education Department would grant his daughter a diploma.

Yesterday, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein offered hope to Angela, who recently learned she has enough transfer credits for an associate's degree from Albany-based Excelsior College.

"We are evaluating the student's college credits to determine whether the credits may be applied toward a high school diploma," Klein said in a written statement.

Originally published on July 16, 2003

Update on Angela Lipsman, thanks to ladylib. See post #130 for first mention.

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/39189.htm

WHIZ KID WHO DITCHED HS NOW A COLLEGE GRAD STUDENT

By CARL CAMPANILE

January 31, 2005 -- A 16-year-old Manhattan girl who skipped high school for college has just earned her bachelor's degree with honors following a two-year fight with educrats, The Post has learned.
Angela Lipsman begins taking graduate courses today toward her master's degree at City College.

Lipsman set off a firestorm in 2003 when she applied to take a high-school equivalency exam after she claimed to have amassed enough college credits for an associate's degree. She was just 14 at the time.

But in a legal Catch-22, she couldn't cash in her credits toward her degree because New York law forbids students from taking the General Educational Development test until they're 17.

Angela and her father, Dan Lipsman, sued the state for age discrimination. But the policy was upheld in state court.

After the ruling, Lipsman refused to go to high school. Instead, she continued her studies program through the Albany-based Excelsior College, which permitted her to attend classes at Manhattan Community College and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Last July, Lipsman turned 16. She immediately applied to take the GED in New Jersey, which allows youngsters to take the exam at 16. Lipsman aced the exams and ranked at the top of the test takers.