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Grading claim probed
Friday, June 22, 2012
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Patrick County school officials are investigating allegations of grade tampering, according to Schools Superintendent Roger Morris.
“We are looking into some allegations of grade tampering” as claimed by Patrick County Supervisor Crystal Harris at a recent supervisors’ meeting, Morris said.
After that meeting, Patrick County School Board Chairman Bobby Mangrum called for the investigation and appointed Morris and school board member Annie Hylton, a former teacher, to look into the matter, Morris said.
Harris alleged that the administration at Patrick County High School used threats and coercion to change grades, Morris said.
Morris said the allegations were made in a public meeting before he or the school board had been asked about them.
During the supervisors’ meeting, Harris said she had information to support the allegations, Morris said.
Mangrum requested that the information collected by Harris be included in a final report to the school board, Morris said. As of Thursday, that request had not been honored, he said.
“We have no knowledge of what information she (Harris) has, even though we requested it,” Morris said.
“We started the investigation without her, and we are trying to piece together the information we have received from a variety of sources,” he said, adding that includes interviews with teachers, administrators and staff members.
Morris said grade books are kept in each teacher’s computer and are in the “sole control of the teacher.”
He said he and Hylton may be ready to report some findings at the Tuesday school board meeting.
Harris has not been available for comment.
