Cheating carries a price

Re “Fight brewing over AP scores,” July 11

Apparently, the Educational Testing Service feels that punishing hundreds of innocent students at Trabuco Hills High School is necessary because its reputation is more valuable than the lives and reputations of real people.

Should this incident, which the school brought to the attention of the ETS, be enough cause to jeopardize the careers of lifelong educators for a lapse in judgment that caused physical harm to no person and did damage to no real property? If this is about protecting a corporate image at the expense of innocent students, then where are our values?

I know these students, many of whom were mine, but regardless of my relationship to them, it is our obligation as adults to see that the innocent are protected.

Our district superintendent made the point eloquently when he stated, “To punish innocent groups of students is unprofessional and unnecessary.” To that I would add it is unjust.

Gregg Swenson

Capistrano Beach

The writer is an Advanced Placement literature teacher at Trabuco Hills High School.

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How telling it is that the test scores are being nullified because students cheated, but the administrators and staff are being meted out “punishment.”

Next, the parents will be telling us that none of the other students seated “too close” noticed any of the texting going on, certainly could not attribute these communications to cheating in progress and so did not alert even one proctor to the situation.

Given the character defects within this student body, perhaps the National Guard should be called in as proctors in the future.

Canceling those Advanced Placement test scores is prudent and appropriate. I vote for awarding the consequences to those responsible: all of the students testing. Nullify away!

Karen Martin

Claremont

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I took an AP test this year. I find myself extremely frustrated that these students might be given a second chance to take their tests. They should have known the consequences of their actions.

At my school, no objects other than a plain water bottle, pens and pencils were allowed. We knew going into the test that if any student was caught cheating or had a cellphone, all tests would be taken away.

Knowing the rules and possible outcomes, not one single student cheated.

Did the students who didn’t cheat try to stop their peers? Evidently not. Those who didn’t cheat are just as guilty as those who did.

Nicole Darbyshire

West Hills