Among the many sacrifices that many service members made was being called into service prior to earning their high school diploma.
As a way of commemorating our veterans and honoring the many veterans in our community, Groveport Madison Schools is pleased to participate in the Ohio High School Veterans’ Diploma program.
Ohio law allows public school districts to confer a high school diploma to veterans who have served in any branch of the United States Armed Services between September 16, 1940, and the end of the Vietnam War. The applicant must meet the following requirements, as established by ORC 3313.616:
- The veteran must have been honorably discharged.
- The veteran is an Ohio resident, or was enrolled in any high school in Ohio.
- The veteran left school prior to graduation in order to serve in the armed forces of the United States, or left prior to graduation for family circumstances and subsequently entered the armed forces of the United States.
- The veteran has not been granted a diploma, honors diploma, diploma of adult education, or diploma from another school.
Likewise, the Board may grant a high school diploma to any woman who left high school in any state during World War II, the Korean Conflict, or the Vietnam Conflict if she meets the following requirements:
- The woman is an Ohio resident or was enrolled in any high school in this state.
- The woman left high school to join the workforce to support her family, to join the war effort, or due to family circumstances that led her to join the workforce or war effort.
To receive a diploma from Groveport Madison High School, the veteran must be a resident of Franklin County but need not have attended Groveport Madison Schools. Applicants are not required to take any tests to qualify to receive their diploma, and we are permitted to award a diploma to a veteran posthumously.
To begin the process, the veteran, or a relative of the veteran, must complete a form provided by the Veterans Service Commission. Once complete, the applicant must deliver the completed application to the Franklin County Veterans Service Commission, located at 280 E. Broad St., Columbus. The veteran must also take a copy of their DD214 military discharge record. Any questions regarding the processing of the application by the Veteran's Service Commission should be directed to 614-252-2500.
Once approved by the Veterans Service Commission, the veteran should contact the District's communications office at 614-916-1163 to finalize the printing of the diploma and to arrange a time for the diploma presentation.