A popular elementary school principal committed suicide after being accused of tampering with students' answers on high stakes standardized tests. NY1's Lindsey Christ filed this report.
An internal Department of Education investigation found the principal of a Harlem elementary school cheated on state standardized tests last April by forging students' answers—but investigators never had the chance to interview the subject of the probe.
The principal of Teachers College Community School, Jeanene Worrell-Breeden, jumped in front of a B train a few blocks away from the school at 9:20 a.m. on April 17—the same day an anonymous tipster told the department about the cheating.
The department released the results of the brief investigation Monday, after the cheating and suicide were first reported over the weekend by the New York Post.
The investigation confirmed the tipster's allegations that the principal "forged multiple answers on multiple students’ answer sheets…" because "some students had not completed their tests."
The school was founded in 2011 with a kindergarten class, and so this is the first time students were old enough to even take state standardized tests, which began in third grade.
Worrell-Breeden was the founding principal and parents said she was respected and admired. The school had quickly become a popular option for families in the neighborhood and frequently hosted high profile visitors, including local elected officials and the former school's chancellor—all of whom praised the new school's performance.
The Department of Education has decided to invalidate the test scores on the English exam for all 47 third-graders. A spokesperson said the decision will not keep students from moving on to the next grade.
This is the second major cheating scandal the department has confirmed this month. On July 8, the Chancellor announced plans to fire the principal of John Dewey High School for giving students credits for courses they never took.