In a stunning new cheating scandal to hit the city’s most prestigious public high school, a student has been forced out of Stuyvesant over allegations of giving test answers to more than 50 other students using a cell phone. Click below to read the rest of the story.
The student was caught photographing the citywide Spanish exam last week, the Daily News has learned.
A proctor who noticed the suspect behavior searched the boy’s phone and discovered the pupil also took pictures of his physics and English Regents exams — and distributed the answers to classmates — sources said.
The junior was disciplined last week and will not be returning to Stuyvesant.
The Education Department would not discuss any specifics of the case.
“The allegation of cheating is under investigation,†said Department of Education spokeswoman Marge Feinberg.
“All we can say at this point is it’s being investigated.â€
The elite Stuyvesant High School in downtown Manhattan admits just the top tier of eighth-graders who ace the city’s exam for specialized high schools.
Each year, the school ships its graduates off to elite colleges, and this year boasted a third place finish for the prestigious Intel prize — considered a junior Nobel award for scientific achievement.
The dozens of students who may have benefited from the cheating scandal have not yet been disciplined, sources said. Their parents have been notified.
It’s not clear whether students solicited the answers, paid their classmate or whether it was his own initiative.
State Education officials said schools are required to report any irregularities on the state Regents exams, which are required to earn a high school diploma.
State officials would not release any details of their probe, citing agency policy to release only verified incidents.
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott is reportedly furious over the situation.
Mayor Bloomberg, who has faced fierce opposition to his ban on cell phones in schools, has justified the policy in part by citing problems with security over exams.
