Call Kurtis: Final Exam Fight

"[It's got] a 350 corvette motor in it and it's pumpin' out about 500 horse right now" says Zach Stewart while opening the hood on a 1970's era truck.

He has been a fan of American muscle since he was a kid, so it's only natural he chose auto repair for his career.

He also chose Wyotech, in West Sacramento, for the education to get him there.

"Well from what my instructors tell me I'm pretty good" he says.

But his education stalled last September.

"I had to go in for emergency surgery, I had no choice."

He was hospitalized for two weeks, but before going in he says he got ahead on his coursework and was near the top of his class.

All he had left to do was take the computerized final exam and he wanted to take it while in the hospital.

When Zach's dad tried to get the school to agree to that, Dan says they wouldn't return his calls.

"And I wait all day and nothin."

Emails went unanswered too.

"There's nothing, I've heard nothing."

Finally, Dan drove the 60 miles from their home in Pollock Pines to speak face to face with Wyotech president John Hurd.

"I said it's not right to keep him hanging," says Dan. "'Oh no, we'll let you know,' and every time I called the school it was another delay, delay, delay."

It soon became apparent to Zach, as he lay in the hospital, his final exam would have to wait.

"They're not being reasonable about it.  They're going to make me retake the class.  I'm going to get set back even further, and it's going to take me even longer to graduate and get out and find work" worried Zach.

Dan called us.

We sent emails and left messages with the school's administration.

We were able to get Mr. Hurd to meet with Dan and Zach.

Hurd refused to let Zach take the final, saying he'd missed too many hours of coursework and had to stick to school policy (no student can miss more than 10% of their total hours.)

But he is letting Zach re-enter school; he'll have to take the last phase all over again, and it won't cost anymore money.

And Zach is keeping everything in perspective.

"That's my whole world right there" he says, proudly displaying a small photo from his wallet.

He's finishing his education, getting a job, and providing for his three year old son.

"Everything I'm doing right now is for him."

Colleges like Wyotech are often regulated by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Private Post-secondary Education.

Contact them if you have a dispute you can't resolve with your college.

Zach says he now should graduate this June.