An inmate at the Bedford County Correctional Facility earned his high school diploma on Wednesday.
Casey Hughes donned the red and black colors of the Tussey Mountain School District as he was awarded his diploma during a small ceremony at the jail.
Under Act 30 of 1997 of the Pennsylvania Legislature, all inmates under the age of 21 are eligible to work towards their high school diploma.
Lucille Kentner, treatment specialist at the jail, called the ceremony âvery uplifting.â
Hughes had unusual circumstances to deal with while trying to earn his diploma at the jail compared to inmates who have done so in the past. Kentner said the pandemic has prevented outside class instructors from entering the facility. Instead, Lance Hudak, an Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 instructor, provided lessons for Hughes to staff at the jail.