Earlier in the week, a Chapel Hill/Carrboro school district spokesman told reporters at a news conference that the cheating discovered at Chapel Hill High was an isolated incident and just four students were involved. The school’s’ principal and system’s superintendent did not attend the news conference. From the Raleigh News & Observer’s Tuesday story:
Knott held a news conference Tuesday afternoon, facing questions about the discovery that some students had a master key to the school and claimed that other students had used it to cheat in years past. Superintendent Neil Pedersen did not attend the news conference, and efforts to reach him Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Principal Jackie Ellis, who is leading the investigation, also did not attend the news conference. Efforts to reach Ellis on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Now the real story is coming out and it’s worse than the spokeswoman claimed. It’s believable she was unaware of the actual details, but unfortunately her credibility has now been undermined. Of concern to me, however, is that the school principal apparently isn’t going to adequately hold accountable the kids who allegedly broke into the school with a stolen master key. From the N&O (emphasis is mine):
Ellis said she is considering pursuing criminal charges for unlawful entry, but is leaning against it.
She also has not ruled out contacting high school graduates about the master key. Right now the investigation is focusing on current students.
Ellis, who is new to the school this year, sees the incidents as a teaching opportunity.
What is the principal’s solution for this “teaching opportunity”? Have a committee post information on cheating in classrooms. Oh yeah, that’ll work. Very unfortunate all the way around.
