From teachers being pressured to change grades, to students passing without even showing up to class, emails recently obtained by Fox45 contain alarming insights into what’s happening inside Baltimore City Schools. It took Project Baltimore more than two years in court to get the emails, even though they’re public records.
Fox45 sued the school system, after we heard from parents, teachers and even former students, who said children were being pushed through the school system without receiving the education they need. In the more than 8,000 emails, Baltimore City Schools teachers express what appears to be frustration over a culture of grade changing.
“If this is the school policy, then I guess the grade should be changedalthough I don’t think she deserves it,” writes one City Schools teacher.
In other emails, a teacher describe a grade given to a student who “had never even set foot on their campus.” We also found failing grades rounded up, passing grades given to students without the work to support it, and some teachers say seniors are graduating without earning it.
“It’s out of control. [Grade changing] is completely out of control,” said one City Schools employee who Fox45 interviewed in the fall of 2017. We agreed to conceal the employee’s identity.
In December of 2017, Fox45 sued Baltimore City Public Schools over the release of public records related to grade changing. Attorney Scott Marder, of Thomas & Libowitz, represented Fox45 in a court battle that took more than two years.
“The public has a right to know,” said Marder back in 2019. “We’ve been waiting many months for the documents and enough is enough. Taxpayers should care about what is being done in the city. Anyone who lives in the city should care about the education of our children. They are the future of this city. And that is what this case is about.”
In February of 2019, Circuit Court Judge Jeannie Hong ruled in Fox45’s favor, saying City Schools “knowingly and willfully” violated the law by not turning over the documents, despite the school system’s argument that releasing the records would have a chilling effect on future internal investigations.
“It's clear the judge wasn't buying it,” said Lucy Dalglish, Dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland during an interview in March 2019. “And she was very methodical in the way she smacked down any arguments that were raised.”
The outcome of this lawsuit could have an impact on taxpayers and parents.
“Anybody who's having difficulty getting a public record in Maryland, they will find this opinion very useful,” said Dalglish. “It sets a roadmap for the test that you have to meet before you can block the release of a record.”
Project Baltimore read all 8,249 emails turned over by City Schools, and we made some stunning discoveries, not just about grade changing. In the coming weeks, we will take you through our findings.
“The students have not completed all the requirements for graduation,” writes a now retired City Schools teacher. “Some of them have failed other classes and teachers are being forced to change their grades.”
“I would like very much to never be asked to change any grades ever again,” added another teacher.
Fox45 received this statement from City Schools, regarding the emails and the lawsuit it took to get them:
"As we have said consistently since these allegations were made we take the integrity of grades extremely seriously. If grades do not accurately reflect what students have achieved, teachers cannot provide the instruction and support each student needs to succeed. That goes against our commitment to every student and family we serve. There are valid reasons that grades may be changed after a teacher first records them: For example, a student may have done make-up work that should be included, an assignment or test may have been left out by accident, a child on long-term medical absence may be doing work through an alternative program, or a mathematical error might need to be corrected. The vast majority of grade changes are made for these and similarly legitimate purposes.
The documents obtained by Fox 45, dating to 2017, reflect concerns that we did not ignore. Much has changed since that period. In May 2019, City Schools adopted updated Board Policy IKA and its associated regulation to better equip staff members with guidance when grade changes are deemed necessary. Of the particular note are the following:
Mandatory training is standard for grade reporters
At the time, we analyzed data from all schools and investigations were launched into five high schools where 15 percent or more of the past year’s graduating class had grade changes related to meeting graduation requirements.
City Schools believes in transparency and the public’s right to know. Board Policy KDA establishes that commitment.
City Schools did not immediately provide Fox 45 with the documents based on valid legal objections. Most notably, we wanted to protect the impartiality of then-open investigations and not take actions that would deter employees or others from stepping forward in the future for fear of having their comments broadcast widely. Fox 45 challenged that belief and we correctly addressed the matter in a court of law, where the judge disagreed with us. Since the judge issued her final ruling, City Schools has spent more than 3,900 work-hours producing the documents with all due effort and speed, resulting in more than 234,000 pages of documents, plus more than 50,000 emails." -André Riley, Director of Communications, Baltimore City Public Schools.
“The citizens of Baltimore City have right to know what is going on within their schools,” said Marder in 2019. “Transparency in government is essential. That is the foundation of our democracy.”
As part of her ruling, the judge also ordered City Schools to reimburse our legal fees of nearly $200,000. So, City Schools spent your money to keep public records from you.