Last Sunday, The Post exposed rampant cheating at Maspeth High School in Queens. The bombshell report triggered a Queens DA probe and reactions from educators and students across the city, many of whom claim the same academic fraud occurs at their schools.
- “Have I been told in a staff meeting, by a Superintendent who is now an Executive Superintendent, that ‘You’d better not fail any of those children?’ Absolutely. Did she mean pass kids who had terrible attendance and hadn’t mastered the curriculum? Absolutely. Did she mean to go as far as Maspeth? No, but when you send that kind of message, here’s what happens.” — Jane Roth, a New York City teacher, on social media
- “Some kids are like, ‘Why are you upset? They’re helping you out.’ They’re not helping me, they’re doing it for their own image. They’re trying to save their own ass. I’m not an idiot.” — current Maspeth HS student in an interview with The Post.
- “Can someone name a school not doing this type of so-called cheating? This is what the city wants principals to do.” — commenter on Chaz’s School Daze, a blog for teachers
- “I wish someone would investigate my school, Flushing High School, where we can’t give zeros to students who plagiarize an assignment or who don’t turn it in. They have to be given 55 . . . Our principal brags about the graduation rate going up to 70 percent . . . as long as you have the numbers, that’s all that matters to the DOE.” — commenter on Chaz’s School Daze