Discplinary action against four teachers in the Scranton School District's probe of cheating on standardized tests has been reversed.
At a school board meeting Monday night, directors granted grievances brought by the teachers union for letters of reprimand that had been given to the teachers.
Rosemary Boland, president of the Scranton Federation of Teachers, complimented the directors for their decision.
"It was very fair and reasonable on their part," she said.
The union has criticized and discredited the findings of Superintendent William King's investigation. Last year the state Department of Education directed him to investigate whether cheating occurred on Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests taken between 2009 and 2011. Scranton was one of six districts identified by the state in September for possible manipulation of answer sheets by adults. A forensic analysis by the state looked at PSSA scores and examined the rate at which answers were changed.
The state has accepted the district's findings, and Mr. King has refused to discuss the specific results with The Times-Tribune.
The administration had planned to give a letter of reprimand to a fifth teacher, but that never happened. A grievance on the teacher suspended without pay has gone to arbitration, Ms. Boland said. Neither the union nor district will identify the teachers.
After Monday's meeting, Mr. King said the board's decisions and what happened after he made his recommendations were out of his control.
"I did what I was required to do, and I did it to the best of my ability," Mr. King said. "I took it extremely seriously. I rendered my decisions based on the facts that I found in my investigation."
The grievance of one teacher was granted unanimously. The other three passed 6-3, with Directors Sean O'Shea, Nathan Barrett and Jason Shrive voting against granting them.
Mr. O'Shea, board president, said he trusted Mr. King's investigation.
"I voted for what I thought was fair," Mr. O'Shea said. "Mr. King is the leader of our district. ... I support Mr. King."
In other business, the board hired four custodians: William Zielinski, Edward Gaughan, William Carey and Kyle Mackaliunas. A volunteer coaching application, including the requirement for background checks, was also approved.
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