<p>One problem with cases like this is it may not be clear what crime, exactly was committed. It may only be a violation of school rules. (It could also be a tort against those whose grades were lowered, but that opens up a bizarre can of worms.) I live near the school, so I’ve been hearing a lot about this, both in the press and from parents of kids in the school. The full story has not come out.</p>
<p>“The full story has not come out.”</p>
<p>Tease!</p>
<p>This sounds quite serious in scope. I’m tired of white collar crime; I hope they get an appropriate punishment.</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to suggest that I know the whole story–I don’t–I just mean that there are a lot of details that haven’t been divulged. I have heard the names of the ringleaders, but we didn’t know them. Two of the kids have apparently already left the school, and one has left the country. I haven’t heard anything about what will happen to kids who paid to have grades changed.</p>
<p>Well, if it is true that the main offender was the son of a diplomat, the rules of law don’t apply anyway because of diplomatic immunity. It would make it impossible to prosecute, since you can’t actually prosecute.</p>
<p>I could see the kids parent’s going after the school, though, particularly if they find out grades were lowered and it effected college admissions…for negligence or some such thing.</p>
<p>It would be really hard to prove damages, though. I don’t think you’re going to get a Harvard rep to testify that a student would have been accepted if several of his grades had been higher. And even if they would, how are you going to quantify the damages resulting from attending, say, University of Maryland instead of a more selective school?</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be a dark cloud but I imagine little will come of this in terms of consequences. D’s HS was in the news two years ago for a similar but not as clever cheating scandal (her school involved accessing school classroom keys and raiding teacher’s computers). The kids involved were some in what I call the second “layer” (10-25%ile in class rank)-ambitious, involved but not the top kids. The HS is very competitive, stressful and well respected public HS in a university community.</p>
<p>The school dealt with it as best as they could. However, the parents and their hired lawyers prevented much from really happening. Sad to say, a number of parents seemed more concerned about how the national attention would affect their child’s admissions more than the fact that the cheating had occurred. All of the cheats are in college, some at the flagship where they continue their cheating…</p>
<p>
Evidently their GPAs were as low as they were for a reason.</p>
<p>Any more news on this cheating scandal?</p>
<p>News today: grades were changed for 54 students and there were at least 8 “ringleaders”. Three of the ringleaders have left the school (one was whisked away to his home country apparently) and the other five are facing criminal charges. </p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030303047.html]washingtonpost.com[/url”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030303047.html]washingtonpost.com[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Ahh, give these kids a break. Expulsion maybe (MAYBE) is required, but criminal charges? For a juvenile prank? Come on.</p>
<p>Changing the grades of 54 students over a period of time, and accepting money from some of the kids to do so is NOT just a prank. Neither is downgrading other innocent kids who deserved higher grades but were not “liked” by the ringleaders.</p>
<p>I’m with sunnyflorida.</p>
<p>It wasn’t a prank–it was a business.</p>
<p>A prank???
It was a an immoral, unethical, possibly illegal act.
These kids should be facing expulsion at least. If it is deemed illegal, then they should face criminal charges.</p>
<p>They should be punished in accordance with the standards of the school district. Expulsion seems likely to me.</p>
<p>If they broke the law, then prosecution is of course warranted. I strongly suspect that there are better uses for prosecutors in the DC area, but now that this story has attracted national attention it will undoubtedly take the front stage.</p>
<p>According to the principal’s letter that went out to parents, expulsion is among the possible sanctions the school system will consider for this type of offense.</p>
<p>If any of the students changed the grades after turning 18, they may be facing prison time, though probably not as much as did this student who helped other students fraudulently get in-state residency at a public university.</p>
<p>"Former Florida A&M University student Marcus Barrington was sentenced to 84 months (7 years) in federal prison for his involvement in the March grade change scandal.
Barrington’s accomplices, Lawrence Secrease and Christopher Jacquette, pleaded guilty and are currently serving their 22-month sentence…</p>
<p>In a unanimous decision in March, a 12-member jury found Barrington guilty on five counts of conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud. </p>
<p>Barrington, 23, and two other former FAMU students, Lawrence Secrease, 22, and Christopher Jacquette, 27, were indicted last October for changing 650 grades that affected 90 students. Some students had failing grades changed to A’s and students who had out-of-state tuition had their residency changed, which lowered their tuition fees."
[Black</a> College Wire - 7-Year Sentence in FAMU Grade-Change Scandal](<a href=“Black College Wire - Home”>Black College Wire - Home)</p>
<p>Since it’s a relatively well-to-do high school (right?), the outcome is going to depend on how well the mommies and daddies can lawyer-up for their kiddos…</p>
<p>If they’s raised a few grades for a few friends, I’d say it was a prank. But, lowering other kids grades??? Getting paid? Sounds like they need at least the threat of a criminal prosecution to ‘get’ that messing with someone else’s life is a crime. It is, by the way. A crime.</p>
<p>Some of my friends, who are very competent with computers, have done this before. As long as you change the numbers a little bit at a time, you won’t get caught. It’s hard not to say something, but they’re my friends.</p>