NEWBURGH – Two months after an Orange County grand jury report found widespread student grade fixing at the Newburgh Enlarged City School District’s high school – Newburgh Free Academy – the practice is still continuing, according to a retired teacher and former county legislator.
Christopher Eachus has written to Superintendent Dr. Roberto Padilla and the school board telling them he has documented proof that the practice is still going on.
“It is particularly heavy duty since April we had hot off the press a report from the Orange County DA that said that grades were being changed, attendance were being changed, and you would think that premier that the administration at NFA Main, and that’s the only school that I know about, was saying ‘let’s be cautious about this’ let’s be sure we that we are doing this correctly’,” Eachus told Mid-Hudson News.
The grand jury report recommended the district bring in an outside party to monitor the district’s attendance policy and procedure, yet he said officials named someone from within to perform that role.
Eachus wrote in his memo to the school board and superintendent that he believes they have “continued to attempt to rectify the problems brought forth by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office but feel that those responsible for the application of the rules and regulations set forth by the board are ignoring the protocol and blatantly breaking the law.”
Since he sent his memo on June 18, he has not heard back from any official in the district.
