A newly appointed principal, Amy Robertson at the Pittsburg High School in Kansas resigned Tuesday night after the student reporters at the school published their findings and raised questions about her credentials. The investigation was conducted by the Pittsburg High School publication, the "Booster Redux."

Initially it was just an introductory profile of the newly appointed head, however after three weeks the student reporters found that Robertson attended a college during her master's and doctorate degrees, which was not accredited by U.S. Department of Education. Pittsburg Board of Education hired Roberston on March 6. The school newspaper published a detailed report Friday stating that Robertson's college was not legitimate and questioned her credentials.

"She was going to be the head of our school, and we wanted be assured that she was qualified and had the proper credentials," said Trina Paul, a senior and an editor of the Booster Redux, the school newspaper. "We stumbled on some things that most might not consider legitimate credentials," she told the Kansas City Star. The student newspaper also claimed that Robertson "presented incomplete answers, conflicting dates and inconsistencies in her responses" during a conference call with the students.

The student reporters found that the college named Corllins University, where Robertson completed her master's and doctorate degrees was not accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. The education department officials were contacted by the Star and they confirmed the student reports. They also said that the department could not find any evidence of the university in operation. It was not included among the department's list of universities closed since 1986. When they tried to contact the college or find information, it appeared that it does not have a physical address and the Star reported that the college had also been accused of being a diploma mill, where people can buy degrees.

Robertson told the Star over email that: "The current status of Corllins University is not relevant because when I received my MA in 1994 and my PhD in 2010, there was no issue."

She also said: "All three of my degrees have been authenticated by the US government." She did not comment directly on students' questions about her credentials, saying, "I have no comment in response to the questions posed by PHS students regarding my credentials because their concerns are not based on facts."

The school board accepted her resignation and said in a statement: "In light of the issues that arose, Dr. Robertson felt it was in the best interest of the district to resign her position. The Board has agreed to accept her resignation."

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