The Department of Education recently concluded an investigation into high schools accused of fudging test results. Dr. Janet Saraceno, a principal at Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx, reportedly changed the grades of nearly 30 failing students. The grades that Saraceno allegedly altered came under the radar of the DOE probe to crack down on schools suspected of altering grades to inflate their graduation rates, among other reasons.
Saraceno resigned as the principal of the Bronx school, but will be placed as a tenure principal assigned as an achievement coach or other similar position, according to the DOE.
In a statement, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said, “This was a long and thorough investigation-two charges were substantiated but the majority of the allegations were unsubstantiated, as is laid out in the report. While Principal Saraceno clearly misapplied our grading policies, there is no evidence to suggest her actions were deceptive or underhanded, and when the facts were brought to her attention, she was honest in acknowledging her actions.”