Students suspended for grade-changing at AHS

Two students have been suspended from Agoura High School for allegedly changing up to 12 grades in a college prep chemistry class taught by teacher Ann McCartney.

The allegation against Sam Bradley, a junior who was accused of being the main perpetrator of the grade-changing scheme in early May, is being challenged by his father, Tim Bradley, a volunteer football coach at the school who has been temporarily suspended from his duties. The son plays on the team.

Agoura Principal Larry Misel said Bradley was suspended from coaching for being confrontational with him.

"Unless I parent the way the district wants me to parent, I'm not welcome to be a volunteer," Bradley said. "I'm the one who opened up the whole thing."

Bradley's son received the harshest punishment—a five day suspension. Another student, whose name was not released to The Acorn, was suspended for three days.

"I don't condone the cheating at all, not even remotely," Tim Bradley said. "The perpetrators would have 'fessed up immediately if the threat of expulsion . . . would have been removed."

Bradley said a third student pointed the finger at Sam and the other suspended student. The informant, according to Bradley, said his son changed the grades on McCartney's open laptop while an accomplice acted as a decoy. The teacher reportedly allowed students to watch videos on the computer while a program containing the student grades was left running.

"It's a prank gone awry," Bradley said, adding that his son knows the identity of the students who actually changed the grades, but would "never rat out on his friends."

"He took the high road," Bradley said of his son's decision not to tell on his friends. "My son is caught in the middle," he said.

Las Virgenes Unified School District Superintendent Donald Zimring said the student's code of silence is anything but admirable.

"All I can say is how sad when youngsters who work hard and are honest in getting their grades have their work demeaned and jeopardized by dishonest students," Zimring said. "We celebrate that dishonesty and think that's the high road? That's unconscionable."

Bradley disapproves of how the suspected grade-changers were "interrogated" by administrators. He said the students' cell phones were taken from them and that they were not allowed to call their parents.

"I always told my kids if they are in trouble (they should) call (their) parents first," Bradley said. "They couldn't do this. I was livid."

Misel said the phones were taken from students so they couldn't send text messages to each other.

"We didn't want the story out there," Misel said. "It wasn't like we thought they were criminals. Talking to kids without parents is not an interrogation. We were asking questions. We have every right to do an investigation. We talk to kids all the time."

During questioning, the students were told their punishment could range from a "slap on the wrist all the way to a police matter," Misel said.

"It wasn't used as a threat, but just to let them know (the incident) was serious," the principal said.

Bradley disagrees and says the students faced a triple threat of expulsion, criminal charges, and a citation for "academic dishonesty" on their high school record.

Misel said administrators investigating the allegations made it "painstakingly clear" that the intent was to "get to the truth." He said the students were given the option of taking responsibility for their actions, but when nobody admitted any wrongdoing they were told they would have to answer questions from the sheriff's deputies.

"We get into this to help kids and help shape their character for the future," Misel said. "Sometimes doing the right thing is what life is about. All of us know the difference between right and wrong."

McCartney, the teacher whose laptop computer was violated, has been "extremely cooperative and very apologetic," Misel said. In the future, she needs to be "extra vigilant" in protecting her academic information, he said.

Zimring said all of the changed grades have been identified and corrected.

Bradley has hired an attorney to clear his son's name by having all charges expunged from his record and allowing him to make up tests to avoid failing the class.