MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County School Board said they’re taking grade-changing allegations at a high school very seriously and are planning a special meeting to see if action needs to be taken.
The move comes after now-former Trezevant High Principal Ronnie Mackin made some scathing allegations.
The board, by phone and in person, met with attorneys Tuesday afternoon and then addressed the media shortly after.
“We take all complaints very seriously,” said Chairman Chris Caldwell as he stood by his colleagues. “Wait until you get the facts and not rush to make a decision.”
Last week, Mackin handed over that resignation letter claiming the school changed grades to boost GPAs and gave students credits for classes they did not pass.
Some of those students included football players. Many are now attending college on athletic scholarships.
The district fired back and questioned Mackin’s motivation and lack of evidence.
“We want to get to the bottom of this. We take this seriously. We want to be fair to everybody involved in this,” said Caldwell.
So now comes the waiting game. The state said it’s been in contact with the district since last fall when they first heard about grading discrepancies.
The state told WREG it had hired an independent investigator to audit every SCS high school. That’s been going on for months, but no word when it will conclude and the findings will be made public.
“I fully support the audit of all the high school transcripts. I’m not going to characterize how I feel about this. I don’t think it’s an appropriate venue,” said Caldwell.
A lot of uncertainty remains. Board member Stephanie Love wouldn’t go into detail either, even though the school is in her district.
“What I’m hearing I can’t state on the news. Distrust, I mean just a lot of different things,” said Love.
The board plans on holding that meeting Thursday, June 9. Once the details are finalized, WREG will let you know.
