Despite earlier claims that district only recently learned of possible grade tampering at Newpoint High School, Superintendent Malcolm Thomas and his staff knew of the allegations in May 2014, according to records Inweekly has received from the School District through a public records request.
Newpoint High School, an “A” charter school in Escambia County, is under investigation by the State Attorney’s office for falsifying grades of its 2013-14 senior class and possibly receiving bonus funds from the Florida Department of Education because of the grade tampering.
When Inweekly reported the allegations a month ago, Deputy Superintendent Norm Ross told the paper that the district’s investigator had opened an investigation in mid-March. He acknowledged that Superintendent Malcolm Thomas received a whistleblower’s information several months ago and he said the district looked into those allegations.
Ross misspoke. Thomas, Ross and others in the district administration received several phone calls last May from Newpoint personnel complaining of teachers being pressured to change the grades of seniors. The phone calls are documented by phone message slips, the cell phone records of the caller and emails from Thomas’ executive assistant, Cathy Irwin, to Vickie Mathis, head of Alternative Education, and copied to Thomas.
The phone message slips:
Malcolm Thomas – 5/12/14 10:55 am, 1.13 p.m., 2:40 p.m.
Cathy Irwin – 5/12/14 2:35 p.m.
Norm Ross – 5/23/14 11:35 am, 3:25 p.m. and one with no time
Cathy Irwin – 5/23/14 5:01 p.m.
Among the emails: Irwin sent Mathis an email – The attendance clerk has overheard Mrs. Polk tell the Spanish and Chemistry teachers to give seniors “A’s” so they could graduate. When the Spanish teacher went to principal, John Graham, he backed up Polk’s orders.
Mathis replies the next morning saying she will advise DOE and is contacting the Newpoint Board chair.
Later in the day, Irwin emails, copies Thomas: “…to mimic a telemarketer: But wait! There’s more!” The news was more Newpoint teachers were being asked to extend assignments, allow make-up work, give answers to tests, and change class grades.
Also Kirk Sutek, associate pastor at My Father’s Vineyard, hand-delivered in May 2014 a packet of documents that further documented the allegations of grade tampering.
The seniors whose grades were in question were allowed to graduate, and the School Board was never notified of the issue.
Inweekly has left several calls for Superintendent Thomas to discuss these latest revelations. Our reporter is waiting for him to return the calls.
On Pensacola Speaks, we spoke with School Board member Jeff Bergosh:
