Why are students at Hempstead High School getting a blank sheet for a schedule?

HEMPSTEAD (WABC) -- Students at Hempstead High School are frustrated after receiving a blank sheet for a schedule.

"I'm trying to graduate, so this is really bad for me," says student Denys Guzman.

The head of the Hempstead Classroom Teachers Association tells Eyewitness News that the school switched to a new schedule this year - a block schedule, but did not leave enough time to deal with the complicated computerized system.

In many cases, students have only been signed up for a few classes, or were registered for classes they already completed. Students say that hundreds of them spent the last two days packed into the school's auditorium for up to five hours, eventually being sent home.

"I was actually really happy when they told us we could go home yesterday, and then when we come back, they just gave me a piece of blank paper with nothing," says student Melany Lobo, "it was crazy - everybody was just in the auditorium -n they had nowhere to go, but now some people are getting schedules."

Betsy Leibu of the Hempstead Classroom Teachers Association says that the fact that kids were hanging around and leaving early was not acceptable.

"It shouldn't be like this. It's not educationally sound for these children," she says.

"I'm not going to make any excuses for why they don't have their schedules. I'm very disappointed. I just hope that the parents and the students will be patient so we can get this resolved," says Lamont Johnson of the Hempstead School Board.

A spokesperson for the school district says a number of students also registered late which is only contributing to the chaos. He says school officials are working around the clock to get students into the appropriate classes as soon as possible.