NJ.com
The Jersey City school district has removed the principal of Lincoln High School, the school’s athletic director, and a vice principal, amid accusations that grades for student athletes at the school were tampered with, board officials confirmed this morning.
Lincoln Principal Jeanette McRae Braswell, school athletic director Artie Williams, and Snyder Vice Principal John Gonzalez were reassigned to the district office on Friday pending the outcome of the investigation, Board President William DeRosa and board member Sean Connors said this morning.Gonzalez was a teacher at Lincoln up until the time he was promoted to vice principal at Snyder toward the end of last year.
Three other staff members at Lincoln could also be removed from their posts pending the outcome of the investigation, Connors said.
“I am shocked to learn about this,” DeRosa said. “That is my home school. I worked there (as a teacher) for 35 years.”
DeRosa said Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr. called him Friday and said that the school officials were being removed and there is an ongong investigation into grades being changed at the school to keep some student althletes eligible to play on the football and basketball teams.
DeRosa said he didn’t know how many student grades were involved or whether the results of the investigation could affect the ongoing basketball season or football season that ended last month with the Lincoln Lions losing 21-8 in the state championship to New Providence.
Connors said students athletes have to maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average to play on teams.
Neither Epps, nor district spokeswoman Paula Christen, immediately returned phone calls to comment.
McRae Braswell, a longtime teacher at the school who took over as principal about two years ago, and Williams, the AD, couldn’t be immediately reached to comment.
The school has about four or five vice principals and one of them would take over as acting principal, DeRosa said.
DeRosa and board member Sue Mack said they expected to receive more information from Epps about the matter early this week, noting that tomorrow is a holiday.
“I am eager to learn more about this myself,” said DeRosa. “It makes me very sad. If there is any wrongdoing … they (the school employees) will have to pay the price.”
Connors chairs the district’s athletic committee.
