ND AG says high schools may go beyond 22 credits

(AP) — Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem says North Dakota high schools may require students to take more than 22 credits of course work to get a diploma.

The issue arose because of a bill the North Dakota Legislature approved last year. It raised the minimum number of credits needed to graduate from high school from 21 to 22, and established new "merit" diplomas that require more work.

The new law says students need 22 credits to graduate. That caused speculation among school superintendents and the Department of Public Instruction that high schools couldn't require students to take more hours.

In a legal opinion issued Thursday, Stenehjem says the law does not prevent high schools from requiring more than 22 credits to graduate.