Assistant Principal At Jericho High School Arrested For Providing Regents Exam Answers To His Son

Attorney General Spitzer today announced that Isben Jeudy, an Assistant Principal at Jericho High School, has been charged with Official Misconduct in connection with mishandling the New York State Regents exams and answer keys. New York State Commissioner of Education Richard P. Mills referred the matter to the Attorney General's office.

According to the criminal complaint filed today, Jeudy was assigned exclusive responsibility for maintaining the exam books and answers to this year's Regents exams at Jericho High School. In mid-June the defendant allegedly received the sealed Regents exams and answer keys, which were separately shrink-wrapped and contained in locked boxes. He was also provided the keys to the locked boxes under separate cover, and was responsible for maintaining the security of those items.

The complaint further alleges that, upon receipt of the locked boxes and the keys, it was defendant's responsibility to inventory the sealed items, return them – in a sealed condition – to the locked boxes, and place the locked boxes in a designated vault. Each morning during the Regents exam period, defendant was responsible for retrieving the appropriate locked box from the vault, opening the box, and, in the presence of the appropriate department head, unsealing and distributing the exams, after which the box would again be locked. Once the exam session had concluded, defendant was responsible for opening the box, retrieving the sealed answer keys, and distributing the answer keys to the teachers responsible for grading that session's Regents Exams. State rules prohibited opening the shrink-wrapped answers until 10 a.m. on the day of the test.

According to today's complaint, on June 21, at approximately 9 a.m., the defendants's 16-year-old son was taking the Global History Regents Exam at John Glenn High School in Suffolk County when the proctor administering that exam observed writing on his hand. The writing was then compared to the answer key for the Global History Exam, and was found to be an exact copy of the answers to approximately 35 questions on that exam. The locked boxes at John Glenn High School were examined and the answer keys to the Global History exam were contained inside and were still sealed in shrink wrap.

Shortly thereafter Henry Grishman, the Superintendent of the Jericho schools, was contacted. At approximately 9:45 a.m., before the completion of the Global History Regents Exam, Superintendent Grishman asked Jeudy to unlock the Regents box. After the box was opened the Superintendent observed that the Global History Exam Answer Keys were unsealed and were no longer contained in shrink-wrap.

The charges contained in the Criminal Court complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Lesley Brovner, under the supervision of Chief of the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau Janet Cohn and Deputy Chief Laurie Israel. Investigator Kevin McCann conducted the investigation, under the supervision of Deputy Chief Henry Lemons.