anybody here really think SPUAT has cleaned

[tombigbeetiger 223]

out the closet?

HOOVER UPDATE -- things get ugly

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Hoover counselors sent UA changed transcript for player

Former principal says grade change a mistake

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

JON SOLOMON AND ERIN STOCK

News staff writers

Counselors at Hoover High School this spring sent a second, different transcript for a football player to the University of Alabama after the university called to say the player was unexpectedly ineligible, according to the high school's former principal.

The second transcript contained a grade change that was "an honest mistake" and that made the player eligible, said Richard Bishop, who has sued the school system over his dismissal as principal.

The player is Josh Chapman, a highly recruited freshman defensive tackle at Alabama, The Birmingham News has learned.

The grade change is one of several allegations involving academics at Hoover High that are being investigated by retired federal judge Sam Pointer Jr. on behalf of the school system.

Some other allegations involve whether a teacher was pressured to give a certain grade to a football player. The News has learned that player is Kerry Murphy, a highly rated Alabama signee who failed to qualify academically this year and is attending prep school.

The University of Alabama declined to comment about Chapman's case. Messages left with Chapman were not returned, and Alabama denied an interview request to speak with him.

"Whenever we receive information questioning any student-athlete's eligibility, we evaluate that information and take appropriate action according to the circumstances," Alabama spokesman Doug Walker said.

No formal correction:

Bishop said he and Hoover Superintendent Andy Craig agreed not to formally correct the second transcript, which was sent to the NCAA Clearinghouse for review of eligibility, because the grade-change error was strictly Hoover's.

Craig said he didn't want to discuss an individual case, but "if an error was made on a grade/transcript in favor of the student, as a general rule, I don't think we would punish the student for a mistake that we made."

Hoover High math teacher Forrest Quattlebaum said in June that a final grade for a senior football player in his class was changed from a B to an A without his consent.

According to Bishop, Alabama's compliance office informed Hoover's guidance department of a concern regarding a player's first transcript shortly after Memorial Day. Bishop said Alabama told the guidance department that the player was "so many hundredths of a point" shy of being eligible and that there had to be a problem, because Alabama had thought the student's eligibility wasn't an issue.

Bishop said Hoover counselors Cindy Bond and Marley Stephens assumed there had been a mistake due to a rounding error with the computer system. Bond and Stephens had been checking grades that were not correctly rounded up and reported 36 such problems, Bishop said.

Bond and Stephens recalculated and mistakenly averaged the player's final math grade of an 89, which is a B, with his first-semester grade of a 90 and came up with a final grade of 89.5, according to Bishop. A grade of 89.5 can be rounded up to 90, which is an A.

Bond, a college and career specialist, and Stephens declined to comment, saying they have been honest with school officials and Pointer in recounting what happened.

Quattlebaum said he was not notified of the grade change until June 12 - 13 days after the change was made. Assistant Principal Carol Martin and Peer Helping Coordinator Terri Borie informed Quattlebaum of the change in a casual conversation outside of school, he said.

Bishop said the counselors, Bond and Stephens, had been calling other teachers while verifying grades, but he was uncertain why they didn't notify Quattlebaum. "I would say just an oversight," Bishop said.

Teacher felt pressure:

Pointer's probe also includes complaints of a teacher feeling pressure from Borie and Martin over another senior football player's grades. The News has learned the student was Murphy.

Bishop said teacher Nikki Townsend reported to him in February that she felt pressured by Borie and Martin, who was the ninth-grade assistant principal at the time.

he contract for Townsend, who was Murphy's English teacher last year, was not renewed at Hoover and she now teaches at Vestavia Hills High School. She declined to comment.

In a Feb. 9 e-mail - one of a series of e-mails obtained through an open-records request by The News - Borie assured Bishop she was not pressuring Townsend. She simply was inquiring about the student's progress because he was in her academic support class, Borie wrote. Bishop said he told Borie: "I want you to understand her perception is she's being pressured. And I do not want her to feel pressured."

Bishop said a string of e-mails between Borie and Townsend demonstrates there was no pressure from Borie. "This teacher is doing her job, and her job is to provide academic support for a student who struggles in school," he said.

Bishop said he cautioned Martin as well, in November, about the perception of pressure from her toward Townsend. "We talked, and I reminded her that, `Perception is in the eye of the beholder and your responsibility is to remove all doubt,' and evidently there was still doubt," Bishop said.

Martin had taken a special interest in the student when he was a freshman and followed him throughout his career, Bishop said. She has been an advocate for students with special needs, he said.

Asked not to speak:

Martin and Borie in separate interviews declined to discuss details, saying they met with Pointer and were asked not to speak about the investigation.

Martin, who is the 11th-grade assistant principal this year, said she looks forward to the investigation being completed and felt positive about her discussions with Pointer.

Borie said, "I think this investigation will show I haven't done anything - anything - wrong."

In late February, Townsend met with then-Assistant Superintendent Jan Dennis and said she felt pressure and feared losing her job, Dennis said. Townsend had talked with Bishop earlier that month about feeling pressured, he said. Afterward, he wrote to her on Feb. 13 that "I want you to continue to encourage (name redacted) and make sure his IEP is followed ... no more is expected."

Murphy said he has an IEP, or Individualized Education Program, for sleep apnea, which he was diagnosed with two or two-and-a-half years ago. He said he was unaware that one of his teachers reported feeling pressure to give him a certain grade. "If all this was going on, the teacher should have come to me and let me know," he said.

Murphy said he believes he has earned all his grades. "I really haven't seen my grades being given to me," said Murphy, who added he wouldn't have been in summer school this year if that were the case.

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[bammanmr 0]

this whole thing stinks to high heaven. worst part is that it won't be looked at by anyone who can do anything about it.

[saniflush 0]

Business as usual.

[ltfusn 0]

If you want to see the definition of denial, look at the forum. Recurring theme "just as we thought, there's nothing here."

and the second most common comment: "How many of you are going to a Bama game this year?"

[mec814 0]

To confine UAT's cheating to closet space is laughable at best. Your are

getting soft TombigeeTiger. William Bradford Huie states bammer was cheating

before I was born. I refuse to believe it has ever stopped. I only hope the

NCAA keeps an eye open at all times. It won't stop it but may slow it somewhat.

[BAMMERPERRY 0]

EARTHSHATTERING! An 89.5 rounded up to a 90? Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! Where's Murphy at now? Nothing to see here. Move along.

[mec814 0]

Bamerperry and isports on the Hoover forum are probably the same person.

[tombigbeetiger 223]

To confine UAT's cheating to closet space is laughable at best. Your are

getting soft TombigeeTiger. William Bradford Huie states bammer was cheating

before I was born. I refuse to believe it has ever stopped. I only hope the

NCAA keeps an eye open at all times. It won't stop it but may slow it somewhat.

oh hell no, i ain't soft on those dildoheaded misfits.....the ncaa has an email copy of that article as of 2 hours ago.....this has seriious consequence if the surface can be pulled back and the stench can be revealed about the corrupt practices at the crapstone.....it will be interesting what ryan williams lawyer find out in mobile,too....anyone who doesn't realize what is happening is dumber than dirt.....hell, they are dumber than bamaperry

[BAMMERPERRY 0]

Hoovergate, Roswell, The Holocaust wasn't real, etc., etc.

[mec814 0]

Bamaperry the JDL has just been notified of your last post.

[BAMMERPERRY 0]

I could use a vacation to Jerusalem! Seriously, if Hoover was trying to backdoor Chapman into Bama, why would they have even sent the 1st transcript to begin with?

[AUChizad 0]

I could use a vacation to Jerusalem! Seriously, if Hoover was trying to backdoor Chapman into Bama, why would they have even sent the 1st transcript to begin with?

They thought they did, which is why it was an 89.5 to begin with.

$aban got on the phone and said "Hey, what gives, this wasn't part of the deal. You said he was eligible."

Principal responds "Oh, sorry, that was our mistake, here try this one."

[tombigbeetiger 223]

I could use a vacation to Jerusalem! Seriously, if Hoover was trying to backdoor Chapman into Bama, why would they have even sent the 1st transcript to begin with?

They thought they did, which is why it was an 89.5 to begin with.

$aban got on the phone and said "Hey, what gives, this wasn't part of the deal. You said he was eligible."

Principal responds "Oh, sorry, that was our mistake, here try this one."

i believe that is exactly what happened.....remember the damn parade that he had for saban when he visited the school?....a man that would suck ass like that can change grades and not miss a wink of sleep