Free Republic

The scariest part about the devastating report into cheating at Maspeth High School is how the Department of Education has responded to such scandals. The biggest issue, to them, is not that Maspeth’s principal graduated students who didn’t pass classes. Or that students were fed answers to tests. It’s that grades and tests even exist. According to texts acquired by investigators, the administrator writes: “What’s worse, her thinking she can’t do it or that’s she’s smart?” In short: The DOE wants to take what Maspeth did and make it policy.

At highly rated Maspeth High School in Queens, students know they can play hooky, skip course work, flunk tests — and still pass. They call it the “Maspeth Minimum,” meaning everyone gets at least the minimum grade or score needed to pass or graduate, no matter what.

NYC: Smokers Who Buy Online Need To Pay Up City Enforcing Cigarette Tax Laws Jan 13, 2005 12:20 pm US/Eastern NEW YORK (CBS) The New York City Finance Department has ordered smokers who bought tax-free cigarettes on the Internet to pay city taxes on their purchases. The demands were made in letters mailed this week. Finance Commissioner Martha Stark says “it's part of a new effort to enforce the cigarette tax laws." The city mailed letters to about 2,300 people whose names were obtained from cigs4cheap.com, which is no longer operating. The letters warned that recipients who failed to pay...