There are some private schools out there offering high school diplomas for a hefty fee — but be careful, as they might not give a flying bark whether you’re man or beast. One local news team investigated a school offering diplomas, and successfully snagged one for their canine pal, Molly.

One human student tells KHOU11 News in Houston she was so happy to be the third person in her family to get a high school diploma, after handing over $600 to a so-called “school” that never checked or graded her homework, she cried with joy. But those tears turned sorrowful when a Navy recruiter told her the diploma was worthless.

Schools in Texas can get away with this under a law that says public colleges and universities can’t discriminate against home-schooled students. One advocate against these schools says they’re not providing instruction, and shouldn’t be allowed to take advantage of the law.

“They’re giving credit, and for a fee, printing out a diploma — that ought to be a definition of a diploma mill,” says Tim Lambert of the Texas Home School Coalition.

KHOU went so far as to enroll a photographer’s basset hound, Molly, in an online program for $300. She faced questions on her test like, “How many sides does a triangle have?” or “the President lives in the White House, true or false?” She passed, with the help of some humans — but she probably could’ve pawed in any answers and still passed.

Molly subsequently received her diploma and official transcript, with a nice email:
“Dear Molly, You have truly reached a new milestone in your educational career… sit back and enjoy your new life of being a high school graduate from Lincoln Academy.”

Woof! Dare to dream.

*Thanks for the tip, Jared!

Dog gets high school diploma as so-called “degree mills” flourish under Texas law [KHOU.com]

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