GO LEFT AMERICA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETODAY, Thursday, August 5, 2015

Contact: Madison Paige, GO LEFT AMERICA Phone: 202-660-1461/ m.paige@boldbluemedia.com -or- LaMar Lemmons 313-204-3681

August 6, 2015

EAA Officials May Have Altered Records, Grades & Given Fake Diplomas

Students and community claim harm that EAA failed at providing college readiness and job skills

Washington, DC (August 6) --- After rumors have circulated for two years of Governor Rick Snyder’s EAA performance, now students and parents are coming forward claiming harm from EAA schools for allegedly inflating, altering and faking student grades and credits.

Says LaMar Lemmons, “For two years we have warned the community, the Emergency Manager and anyone who would listen of wrong doing. However, of course the Emergency Manager also sat on the Board of the EAA, so many conflicts of interest, which harmed students, because of the policies of the State of Michigan.”

Because of the great fear of retaliation in the Detroit community, teachers, parents and students feared retaliation from reporting allegations to the Department of Justice. Go Left America spoke to over 400 witnesses and documented claims of easy pass classes and fake diplomas while urging the Department of Justice to ensure the safety of those who complained of the grade altering practices

Page 82 of the Title VI complaint reads: “I wanted to go to college and do work so that I could be successful in life. I saw my transcript and I knew I had to make up a lot. Then one day, they said I should come get my diploma, because I graduated...I felt surprised. I enrolled myself into (college)…When they gave me assignments to do 5-10 page papers, it was too hard, because I never did it before, my confidence and self esteem was dropping... I now realize I was done a disservice when I was not allowed to take the classes I needed to acquire the knowledge necessary to succeed in my classes.”

The Title VI Complaint can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/MfmCr2

Governor Snyder closed many of Detroit’s better schools despite the recent renovations and construction projects at those schools. Some of the closed schools served special populations: Oakman Orthopedic served special education students, and Southwestern served English Language Learners,. The closures forced DPS students into Charters and failing EAA schools where students report being invited to join gangs in exchange for a safe route to school. Students who refused joining a gang report being assaulted regularly. Evidence shows new gang members may have been forced to engage in sexual assaults. Students and parents complain the EAA provided below grade average work in overcrowded classes.

“I had a teacher named Ms. Proctor, she passed everyone, and we didn’t do anything but watch movies every day,” a complainant writes in the complaint of the Board of Education.

“My children were forced to go to an EAA school. Now, because of the EAA, more people left the neighborhood and it is the closest school to us, but because our community has changed since Governor Snyder was in office, there are gun shots in the morning as I take my children to school…There is not an organized drop off. There are not enough people to direct the traffic. I feel that it is stressful and if feels dangerous,” claimed another complainant.

Henry Ford, Pershing and Denby were mentioned often as regards grade inflation and grade altering. The Detroit School Board is awaiting the Governor’s response to the revelations of impropriety at the EAA.

Students forced to attend a school where the class is doing below average grade work is a huge problem, but falsifying grades allows the Governor to appear to be succeeding, while diverting resources from DPS and actually short changing the students. Students are taking classes in 11th and 12th grade that they already took in 12th grade because they didn’t have the classes available that the students needed.