Education
Arizona school acknowledges widespread cheating amid remote learning
Students reportedly paid each other to submit work for online classes and assignments
May 24, 2022 2:51pm
Updated: May 25, 2022 6:32pm
A private school in Phoenix acknowledged that remote learning enabled widespread cheating just days before graduation.
The scandal occurred at Brophy College Preparatory; the cheating scandal was brought to the school's attention shortly before graduation on May 20.
"As we prepare to celebrate the senior class in just a few hours, I am most disappointed to have to send you this letter. As difficult as it is to share this news, I have consistently asserted that partnership between parents and the school is essential and that holds true even today, your son's final day as a Brophy student. Over the last 72 hours, we have become aware of academic dishonesty in your son's math class," Principal Bob Bryan wrote in a letter sent to parents that was obtained by Fox 10.
Students reportedly paid each other to submit work for online classes and assignments.
The students involved might not be held accountable for their actions, given how close to graduation the school found out about the matter.
Bryan has requested parents to ask their children if they were involved with the scandal.
"Our internal review will include a thorough audit of our assessment strategy across every department to ensure the integrity of our academic program," Bryan wrote in the letter Fox 10 obtained. "Finally, I want to acknowledge the awkward timing of this sobering news, which comes on the cusp of an otherwise celebratory weekend. We will continue conversations with individual students and families in the coming days, but do not plan to address this incident this evening or tomorrow and detract from the celebrations the vast majority of our seniors have rightly earned."
A May 2020 Wily poll found that 93% of instructors believe students are more likely to cheat in remote learning than they are in person. Conversely, 95% of students believe that their peers cheat both in-person and online.
The poll also found that 60% of instructors think that open-book exams help prevent cheating.
