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“Would you mind showing us exactly where that’s listed in the handbook, Sir?”
Until now, I never knew that the word sir could sound so much like the word jackass.
The president turns to his computer and after a few clicks, he starts scrolling. His mouth moves soundlessly as he skims through it.
His eyebrows knit closer and closer the further into the document he gets. Then comes a bunch of clacking as he (undoubtedly) uses the search command to look for it.
Eventually, he sighs in defeat.
“There’s nothing here that explicitly prohibits it.”
Then a cruel gleam starts to twinkle in his eye.
He clears his throat and sits up straighter. “There's also nothing that says I can’t flag her file so the review board can closely scrutinize every single piece of her portfolio to check for signs of bias. I swear to you, if they find even one whiff of impropriety, her graduation application will be denied and the four of you will be banned from this academy.”
Wesley and I exchange worried looks. Losing her chance to get these certifications from AGA would devastate her.
Did we push him too far?
I glance over at Phillip and he’s eerily calm. There’s even a smile on his face.
“Every last item in her portfolio has been meticulously documented and is free of any impropriety. Please flag that file. We absolutely welcome the scrutiny.”
Has he lost his mind?
“Excuse me? You what?” the president sputters.
Apparently, I’m not the only one in the room who thinks Phillip’s gone off the rails.
Then Phillip straightens in his chair. The look on his face is the same one he has when he’s about to hand me my ass on the chessboard.
Apparently, the president has also played chess with Phillip because his face loses all its color.
“I said that we welcome any additional scrutiny to our teaching methods as reflected in the contents of her portfolio. However, I don’t think the academic review board will be sufficient. According to the handbook, any grievance that has the potential to result in the rejection of a graduation application can be escalated to the academic tribunal for review by any party said grievance is brought against.
“So if you do decide to thoroughly investigate her file, I will most definitely be exercising that right on behalf of my student. As you’re well aware, Mr. President, the tribunal considers all exigent factors in the case, and I will not hesitate to include the many instances of harassment this student incurred on the academy premises. So I am more than confident that the tribunal will find that highly troubling. Please consider this my official notice of intent to file this grievance. I’ll also need copies of all the photos and any other files that you received from your source to add to my evidence binder, and there’s no time like the present. Isn’t that right, sir?”
I think the president might be broken. He’s just sitting there with his mouth half open and staring blankly at the three of us.
Note to self. never, ever get on Phillip’s bad side.
After several moments of silence, Phillip asks, “Sir, do you plan on flagging Miss Ross’s file for additional review?”
“I no longer find it necessary for that student’s portfolio to be subjected to anything more than the standard evaluation that all our students receive,” he says tonelessly.
“There’s one more thing I need to address before the window closes, sir.”
“Yes?”
“Please send my regrets to the students who have already registered with me for the next session. I’m afraid I no longer wish to return.”
“Please send my regrets as well,” I say.
“And mine,” Wesley adds.
“Now, sir, if that’s everything, we have exams we should be proctoring.”
“It is,” he says, sagging back into his chair.
