When Abdurrahim Ali saw that his son had failed classes and exams at Harlem’s Bread and Roses High School, he logged into the school’s grading system and simply changed his son’s scores.
Ali admitted to the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board that he used his password as an assistant principal at Bread and Roses to change 11 of the grades from failing to passing over the course of six months.
“Mr. Ali abused his position, and has been disciplined for his inappropriate actions,” Devora Kaye, a spokeswoman for the education department, said in statement. “The DOE is committed to swiftly addressing any improper behavior in our classrooms.”
This week, Ali agreed to pay a fine of $7,000. Kaye said Ali was no longer assigned to Bread and Roses, but didn’t say whether the city would pursue his termination.
Bread and Roses has struggled for years, and is in the process of phasing out after surviving multiple previous attempts to close the school.