Some 315 students from El Paso High School in Texas, whose completed Scholastic Aptitude Tests tests flew out of the open back of a UPS truck, might have to take a different College Board examination.
The New York Times reported Monday that 315 tests taken by students Oct. 27 were given to UPS for transport the next day but flew off the back of the truck, leaving 55 missing and others unable to be salvaged, meaning all the students would have to be retested.
"I was driving on Mesa Street back from the gym and all of a sudden, I see, like, a bunch of papers just everywhere," Freddy Chavez, a senior at El Paso High School, told the Times. "I really didn't think much of it until a few days later, when I heard rumors that those were actually SATs. I connected the dots right away."
In a statement, UPS said the driver's actions were not "representative" of the protocols the company has in place to transport this type of material.
"The driver's actions in this case are not representative of UPS protocols and methods, and we have addressed this with him," the Times reported the statement saying. "Safely and reliably meeting our service commitments is UPS's first priority."
According to the College Board, which publishes and oversees the standardized tests that many colleges use in their application process, 1.7 million students took the exams in 2022, up from 1.5 million in 2021, with about 80% of students sending their scores to colleges.
An official for the El Paso Independent School District told USA Today the district is working with the College Board to remedy the situation.
According to the report, students would be able to take the ACT test as an alternative at no additional cost.
The district is the 12th largest in Texas, serving 50,000 students on 80 campuses with 9,000 employees, according to its website.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.