Students arrested for changing grades
Ben Godar
Four Providence High School students were arrested Thursday on
suspicion of tampering with school computer records in order to
improve their grade-point averages, police said.
The four boys allegedly used computers in a home or homes as well
as computers at the school to change their grades in a variety of
subjects. Police would not release any further details on how the
grades were changed, but said the alleged crimes occurred within the
last 30 to 40 days.
The names of the students were withheld because they are
juveniles, but police said two of the boys were from Burbank, one was
from Glendale and one was from Chatsworth. All are 17-year-old
juniors at the private school.
Members of the juvenile detail and computer forensic response team
are investigating the case, and police said they seized several
computers from homes in Burbank, Glendale and Chatsworth.
Burbank Police Spokesman Sgt. William Berry said the students used
a new technology to change the grades so they could get into a better
college.
“These people are computer savvy, but they’re not computer
experts,” he said.
The four boys were each charged with illegal tampering of computer
records, police said. They were released to the custody of their
parents.
Providence High School officials could not be reached for comment
Friday.