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More Details Released: Teacher Arrested In Newpoint Cheating Scandal
June 2, 2015
State Attorney Bill Eddins and Superintendent of Schools Malcolm Thomas announced Monday that Christopher David Fowler has been arrested on four misdemeanor charges for violating Florida’s Test Administration and Security Law. Each charge constitutes a first degree misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail.
The charges resulted from a joint investigation by investigators from the Office of the State Attorney and the Escambia County School District regarding Newpoint School Pensacola. Fowler was a teacher at the school and it is alleged that he illegally assisted students during an end of course assessment test. Fowler is scheduled to be arraigned on June 22.
According to the arrest warrant application, a twelfth grade student said that during her Algebra I end of course assessment, Fowler would either whisper answers to students or use their mouse to point out the correct answer on the computer screen. In addition, the student stated that during the Geometry EOC, Fowler provided both equations and answers to her during the test. During her U.S. History EOC, the student stated Fowler provided answers to her during the test. According to the student, when she indicated she was confused with a question, Fowler would state to her “B..(Be) good or B (Be) quiet” or “I can C (see) why you are confused” as a way to provide answers to her.
In one incident, Fowler was not the test administrator, but he came into the room to provide information, the report alleges.
One student stated that during his Algebra I EOC, Fowler provided answers to him. According to the student, Fowler would either give him a hand signal or simply give him the answer to questions that he was struggling to answer. In addition, the student also remembered Fowler stating the class (being tested) could not say anything about him helping or he (Fowler) could go to jail. The student also stated that during his Geometry EOC, Fowler would sit next to students and give answers. In addition, the student stated during his U.S. History EOC, Fowler used his personal cellular telephone to look up and provide answers to the entire group of students taking the test.
Based upon the aforementioned information, the Department of Education conducted a review of the EOC’s administered at Newpoint Pensacola. Consequently, the review identified multiple anomalies which can be correlated by an examinee’s answer string being extremely similar with that of another. This indicates answer copying, test coaching, proxy test taking, or some other form of collusion, the arrest warrant application states.
One April 16, Escambia County Superintendent Malcolm Thomas announced a site visit to evaluate the operations and performance of Newpoint. Later that day, Fowler resigned from his teaching position.
Fowler was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
The investigation regarding other allegations concerning Newpoint School is continuing at this time, according to Eddins. Newpoint is a charter school, and Thomas has recommended their charter be terminated.
Comments
13 Responses to “More Details Released: Teacher Arrested In Newpoint Cheating Scandal”
Former Newpoint Parent is on target with their comment. The basic premise for this school was great and the technology learning was also a great idea. The classroom structure and the small group teaching, independent work and group work was a fantastic idea and really facilitated learning. The problem is as Former Newpoint Parent pointed out; discipline issues. Students who had been expelled or had been threatened expulsion if they did not withdraw from their current school, would come to Newpoint and because they were trying to increase their enrollment where it needed to be, Newpoint allowed them to enroll. My child had many problems with bullying and getting in to trouble for defending himself. It is epidemic in every school but particularly in Newpoint in that there is no discipline except suspension and most of the time the kids who get suspended repeatedly, don’t mind being home without supervision and playing video games all day long. So, I say again, discipline was the true issue. I knew Mr. Fowler. He did not teach my child but had offered on several occasions to tutor my child in math. Mr. Fowler was a kind, helpful and gracious teacher. He respected his students and the students respected him back. Please don’t turn him into some teacher that didn’t care for his students or their learning. That would be completely untrue. If he in fact did do any of the things that he is alleged to have done, it was because some of the standardized testing questions are so ambiguous that a college graduate can’t understand it much less kids. Take a look at the questions yourself. I have.
Most of those standardized tests have the penalties for misuse or cheating on the test clearly spelled out. Jail time is a real possibility and the fine print says as much.
Yes–arrested for alleged fraud that led to the misappropriation of taxpayer dollars.
He’s just as much a thug as all of those other thieves that show up in these headlines. Somebody ought to wipe that smirk off of his face.
I don’t get it. Arrested for helping these kids cheat on these tests? I understand getting fired or reprimanded for this offense. But arrested??????
I but the ECSO Deputy(s) were real gungho to arrest this teacher for helping students cheat on tests.
Bet they thought they had more dangerous criminals to worry about.
I’m glad they shut the school down. I sent two of my children there, biggest mistake I’ve ever made.
2 more woulda been good:
I’m not “A”llowed to give you the answers.
Study & learn to pass the test, “D”ummy!
This should be a wake up call that standardized tests are not being used for what they were originally supposed to do and that is to give an idea of where the kid is to be able to help them. Penalizing teachers for a student not learning is often beyond their control. I am sorry to hear that his young man felt it necessary to do this.
Yeah, because government always does everything better than the private sector. Hahahahahahahahahahahhalol
Charter Schools, another way for private companies to get taxpayer money. Having for-profit private companies teaching our children is an even worse idea than having for-profit private companies run our jails.
Sage 2 , the first part of your comment is off base. The majority of the students at Newpoint are extremely bright, the problem is/was Newpoint started letting kids attend that had disciplinary problems at there previous school. This caused a problem wit the kids that were honor students and when those bad kids started disrupting the class and non stop bullying the administration did nothing to stop it or suspend or expell those students. My child maintained a 3.7 GPA before we withdrew him after Christmas break,he now has a 4.57, so as for the students needing help maybe a few did the majority did not.
My guess is that most of the students attending this school, probably needed all the help they could “stand” and more.
It’s a shame this young man got caught up in a web that will eventually ruin his chosen career, as a teacher, his certificate/license and a possible criminal record.
Mr.Fowler was one of the few teachers who looked after the kids and made sure they were not bullied, at least he did for my child. THE ONE who really needs to be taken down is vice principal, she let a student come back to school twice after that student threatened to kill another student by getting his dad’s gun. That child was never suspended or anything . So long Newpoint, glad to see your closing.