Following a cheating scandal at one of New York City’s high schools, Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña says she is creating a task force that will hold schools accountable for adhering to the system’s academic policies.
The task force, which will include a independent third party with no ties to the school system, will “provide oversight, as well as new training and resources to ensure all schools comply with rigorous policies and standards.”
“Schools violating our academic policies are not giving students the education they deserve, and I have zero tolerance for schools flaunting our policies,” Fariña says in a news release. “By creating a Regulatory Task Force on Academic Policy and forming dedicated teams to monitor any concerning trends, we are once again sending a clear message that violating academic policies will not be tolerated.”
The news release asserts that Fariña has enforced a zero-tolerance approach to violations of academic integrity and cited a recent scandal at Dewey High School in Brooklyn. Faariña removed the principal there last month for impropriety in the school’s credit recovery program.
The task force will be led by Phil Weinberg, the deputy chancellor for teaching and learning.
As part of the emphasis on academic integrity, New York City will provide additional training to individual schools so that they are clear about expectations and policies.
