Second student arrested in school hacking case

Lolita Harper

A senior at Corona del Mar High School was taken into custody

Wednesday in connection with a conspiracy to change at least 12

students’ grades by hacking into the school’s computer system, police

said.

Newport Beach Police Sgt. Steve Shulman said the second student to

be fingered in the alleged grade-changing ring was brought in

Wednesday morning on suspicion of illegally accessing the school’s

computer system. The boy, whose name and age were withheld, was

released to his parents, pending further action in the juvenile court

system, Shulman said.

The two boys taken into custody are said to have taken “several

hundred dollars” in exchange for the favorable grade changes, Shulman

said.

“We don’t have a specific number amount,” Shulman said. “Sometimes

the money was paid sometimes the money was promised, but we know that

the cost was several hundred per grade change, as opposed to per

student.”

Shulman also said the hackers charged more money depending on the

increase. For example, it would cost more money to change a D to an

A, than a B to an A, he said. Shulman said the urgency of the grade

change was also a factor in the price.

Police have been working closely with the Newport Mesa Unified

School District to get to the bottom of the hacking conspiracy, which

was first brought to light when school officials noticed unauthorized

changes to the computerized data, officials said. On May 10, a Corona

del Mar junior was taken into custody, on suspicion of hacking into

the school’s computer system. Both boys have been suspended.

The Newport Beach Police Department is working hard on the case

because, according to the state penal code, it is a felony to access

a computer without permission and alter, damage, delete or destroy

data, Shulman said.

“We are spending a lot of time trying to get to the bottom of this

and we are getting a lot of help from the school district,” Shulman

said.

Jane Garland, a spokeswoman for the school district, said the

investigation is a criminal one and district officials are simply

doing all they can to help. Most of the school’s involvement in the

case’s scrutiny is in terms of providing technical information and

access regarding the school’s computer security, she said.

“We are saddened but not surprised that there is more than one

child involved in this,” Garland said. “Especially considering the

amount of children’s grades that were changed.”

After serving a mandatory five-day suspension, both boys will be

required to transfer schools until a final determination is reached.

The transfers, Garland said, are only administrative, until officials

have a definitive outcome.

“For the protection of the students being suspended and for the

protection of all the students, we have to do this,” Garland said.

Shulman said Newport Beach detectives have talked to numerous

students, 12 of whom admit their grades were changed. Only those who

actually accessed the computer system illegally, however, are subject

to criminal charges, he said.

“Any disciplinary action that were to take place outside of the

juvenile court system would be the responsibility of the school -- or

the parents,” Shulman said.

PTA President Jill Money said she was “just really sorry” the

hacking incident took place. Money has watched her children work hard

for their grades and is saddened that others chose to take the easy

way out, she said.

“There are a lot of really hard-working students there and it is a

shame that a few can ruin the reputation for them all,” Money said.

Cheaters will not only be under the watchful eye of school staff

members and administrators, Money said, but parents will increase

their role in eradicating dishonest methods.

“We are aware on the PTA that there is cheating and we are really

going to make an effort to focus on that, as far as a parent group,”

Money said.

Garland said the district will have to wait until the criminal

investigation is complete to decide who will be disciplined and how.

Officials only would want to punish those who were knowingly involved

in the conspiracy, she said.

“We don’t want to hurt anyone who may not have known it was

happening,” Garland said.

* LOLITA HARPER is the Forum editor. She also writes columns

Wednesdays and Fridays. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or by

e-mail at [email protected].