Cheating Scandal in Hanover Draws Debate

Lily Worth sits on the scenic Dartmouth College Green, adjacent to Hanover’s busy downtown. She reflects on what has become a familiar topic in town these days.

Lily Worth - I mean people are so shocked because of, you know, its scale, there are a lot of kids involved and it was quite sophisticated, I guess what they did, by actually stealing keys or whatever they did to steal the tests.

The 2005 Hanover High School graduate is referring to an incident that happened in June.

Nine high school juniors allegedly masterminded the theft of some final exams.

The group had gained access to file cabinets in the school’s math and science resource centers.

Following a police investigation, all nine now face Class B misdemeanor charges that carry possible fines but no jail times.

Some are being charged with criminal trespass while others who stood lookout are being charged as accomplices.

School officials have said that while cheating incidents are usually handled internally, this one rose to the level of police attention.

Hanover Police Nicholas Giaccone.

Chief Giaccone - And then as we got into the investigation and saw the preplanning, premeditation and the action of those involved we felt it was a significant enough event that
should be dealt with at the criminal court level.

In a college town, a cheating scandal is usually big news.

And immediately, this scandal sparked debate about issues like academic pressure and personal responsibility.

Jim Kenyon’s son Nicholas is one of the accused.

In a statement to the local paper in which he writes a column, Jim Kenyon urged officials to look at the big picture.

Kenyon - It’s become clear to me in recent weeks that cheating is widespread in Hanover High’s high-pressured academic culture. The problem, I don’t think, can be solved by attempting to saddle 10 kids with criminal records for the rest of their lives.

Kenyon’s argument raised some eyebrows.

Letters to the editor criticized him for not accepting responsibility for his son’s actions.

But 2007 Hanover High graduate Dennis Lally, who will attend Dartmouth College, says cheating is not widespread at his old school.

Dennis Lally - Yeah not on such a large scale, more on like a question to question or a small homework assignment but nowhere near like seeking out an exam

Back on the green Hanover High grad Lilly Worth doesn’t buy the argument about academic pressure forcing some kids to cheat.

Lilly Worth - Kids in Hanover are very smart and the teachers are capable of teaching them up to the standard where they shouldn’t have to be cheating so I’m a bit surprised they were pushed to that…

Yet, she agrees with Kenyon and others who say maybe those charged deserve a break.

Lilly Worth - I’m not saying they should be excused. They should know better than to do this. But you don’t really want the police involved when the kids are so young and their futures could be affected. I really think the parents and the school are most responsible.

But others believe the students should face the full extent of the law.

Ray Hood is a custodian at nearby Lebanon High School.

He says put the blame where it belongs.

Ray Hood - To try and blame it on the community and school—whatever happened to personal responsibility?

And Hood doesn’t agree that the students should be treated more leniently to protect their records.

Ray Hood – Gee, guess what? If someone came and broke into my house and was arrested, that would be the same result. So if that happens, then I guess they’d have to bear the responsibility of it. And--it’d be a really good lesson, wouldn’t it?

The nine students go to court on Tuesday, the day before they start their senior year.

But that’s just the beginning.

Now that police are done, the school has started its own inquiry.

And school officials have learned that the more tests had been taken than originally thought.

The school investigation is expected to last well into September.

And School officials acknowledge that the outcome could be ugly.

For NHPR news, this is Kevin Forrest