Newpoint HS Investigation Errupts

Investigations into allegations of misconduct regarding Newpoint HS in Pensacola are now, officially, being initiated by the State.

After I received explosive information about one of our charter schools at 7:45 in the evening on March 25^th, --I passed this information directly over to our attorney and the superintendent of schools.   Last week, I mentioned what I could in two entries into my blog because I was told by multiple insiders that “nothing was being done to address the significant allegations” at this school.

Now, multiple media outlets have picked up on the story I alluded to on my blog.

Like a snowball rolling down a hill, this story is growing--which appears to be exactly what the whistle blowers who initially contacted me wanted.

Rick’s Blog was first, PNJ was next, followed by WEAR channel three’s Ricki Vann.  Next was WCOA, then AM1620.  Early on, I’m told that Pensacola Today and NorthEscambia.com were informed of the allegations but chose not to follow the story.  PNJ was notified, apparently, months ago about some issues at Newpoint according to a source.  PNJ chose not to follow the story at that time.

Since this all went down last Wednesday--I’ve done three radio interviews and had conversations with media outlets from around the state; yesterday I even spoke to a reporter from as far away as Miami!

I keep telling everyone that calls me the same things:  I’m not the school board’s spokesman, I’m not the investigator, I’m just one member of a five member board of constitutional officers, I’m just a guy that received some explosive allegations and passed them along expeditiously to the appropriate authorities.  I continue to receive information from sources, and I continue to pass this information along to the school board’s attorney. 

What I’m also saying to the media is this:  Everyone and every entity that is facing these allegations is innocent until proven guilty, everyone will get due process, and the issue is now getting a thorough investigation.   I’m telling everyone to call the district, call the Board Chair, call the spokesman, call the attorney—yet these folks still call me!

I haven’t and I won’t divulge anything that would ever compromise any investigations; but I also won’t sit silently like a wax statue when nobody else from our district seems willing to even acknowledge the issue and make a statement to anyone in the media------ as my phone simultaneously rings off the hook!!

Keeping the public informed on basic facts can be accomplished (and should be), while at the same time not jeopardizing “active investigations.” That’s why organizations do press conferences.  Hello?  I’m not a private eye, an attorney, a PR spokesman, or a detective –but even I know this.

Sitting in a cone of silence regarding basic, publicly known facts that are useful to constituents when a situation like this erupts only makes the public more and more distrustful and suspicious of the district. 

Look at incidents recently in the Midwest that were handled initially via a “cone of silence”—those incidents were mishandled very badly and information that could have been passed to calm an angry, restless crowd was unnecessarily withheld, leading to significant problems as that whole incident devolved….Information helps in these instances.

NOW INVESTIGATIONS HAVE BEGUN

In Rick’s blog on April 1st, our Deputy Supt. of Schools is quoted stating the district’s investigation commenced two weeks ago.  In the April 3rd PNJ, however, the Superintendent of Schools, in an 

Newpoint Issues a Press Release This Afternoon at 5:00

Allegations of Misconduct Part 2: Administrators Told Teachers to Change Grades

....in order to help achieve an "A" letter grade and the resulting school recognition award money from the state.

That is the allegation that irritates me the most.  Another source close to this program has now reached out to me with issues about this school.  The news is not good.

By contrast--other schools, teachers, and staff members worked hard and earned this state bonus money legitimately,

Whereas this one school, allegedly, conspired to fix the grades and usurp the normal, legitimate process for receiving award money from the state.

...and then, to top this off, this organization's director was invited to the ceremony with the Governor last week-- honoring the legitimate work of 21 other district schools that got their recognition money the old fashioned way, they earned it!

from just a small sample of the information I have received:

"XXXX was asked by XXXXXXX to give Senior XXXXXX and Senior XXXXXXXXXX “A”’s in her class. XXXX was asked to delete zeros from missing work assignments the students did not turn in months earlier. XXXXXXXXXX discussed this issue with XXXXXXXXX since they are both new teachers. Both teachers were very upset about the possibility of loosing their jobs and their teaching credentials. XXXXXXXXXX was in tears. XXXXXXXXX  was very upset and told XXXXXXXX.   XXXXXXX encouraged XXXXXXXX to talk to XXXXXXXX about both of them going to the school district and reporting the incident. Neither woman did so. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX heard about teachers being asked to falsify grades for students. XXXXXXXXX asked XXXXXXXXXXX what grade she should give to XXXXXXXXXXX so he would graduate? XXXXXXXXXX was told what grade to issue for XXXXXXXX and she did. XXXXXXXXX was asked by XXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX to give Senior XXXXXXXXX an “A.” XXXXXXXXX explained to XXXXXXX that XXXXXXXX rarely came to her class and when he did, he did not do his class work. XXXXXX was then asked to gave XXXXXXXXXX a “B” because that was what he needed to graduate. XXXXXXXXXXX was asked to help XXXXXXXXXXX pass his final exam. XXXXXXXXXXXX came to XXXXXXXXXXX classroom. XXXXXXXX allowed XXXXXXXXX to take his final exam. XXXXXXXXXX give XXXXXX the answers to the exam by standing over XXX shoulder and reciting them out loud because XXXXXX did not know the material. "

A Spectacular, Unprecedented Lapse in Ethics....

......But no coverage of this huge story on the evening news broadcasts....why not?

The University of North Carolina cheating scandal is unprecedented in size and in terms of the duration of the offenses.  The scheme also included many accomplices in the schools administrative ranks.  According to this Forbes article, the scandal began in the early 90s during the dominant basketball years of coach Dean Smith--although Smith was not personally implicated.

Allegedly, 9 staffers from the University will be fired.  We'll see if that really happens.

Locally we have recently seen the lengths folks will go to in order to field competitive teams. Rules will be broken and liberties will be taken in order to win. And we've seen other college scandals before revolving around athletics.  I wonder if thorough examinations were made at all the universities in the country-if similar sorts of schemes would be found all over the place?

Pretty sad but I bet this is common.  At least UNC decided to take a deep dive on this to get to the bottom of it.

From the Forbes article:

"As delineated in the 131-page report, the cheating regime was overseen by former Department of African and Afro-American (AFAM) studies chair, Julius Nyang’oro, professor of record for many of the bogus courses (including a laughable 300 independent study courses per year). The scheme was implemented by Nyango’oro’s assistant Deborah Crowder, a nonacademic in charge of creating and grading the phantom classes.  The report notes that, often, the only requirement for students participating in the “shadow curriculum” was to submit one paper (usually plagiarized) per class. Technically labeled “lecture classes” to circumvent UNC’s limit on “independent study” courses (an easier way to enable academic fraud), these classes involved zero lectures, zero work and zero attendance. Instead, they were known around campus as “paper classes.”