Senior says he altered grades

His five siblings got into prestigious colleges - including Harvard, Columbia, and MIT - and he had no reason to believe he wouldn't follow the family tradition.

After all, the stellar student at Cherry Hill High School East was also an accomplished classical musician, a class officer, a mentor, a volunteer, and a member of the National Merit Scholarship Program. But colleges slammed doors and his future dimmed after police accused the 17-year-old senior last month of changing computerized grade transcripts for himself and four friends.

The student, who is not identified because he is a minor, was sentenced yesterday to more than one year of probation and 100 hours of community service after he admitted to a third-degree charge of computer theft. Jonathan To, 18, a Cherry Hill graduate who went on to Drexel University, is awaiting a hearing on similar charges stemming from the alleged June 6 grade-changing scheme.

Robert DePersia 2d, who represents the 17-year-old, said the sentence in Family Court yesterday paled in comparison with the penalties his client has already suffered.

"His life has already changed dramatically, and there is nothing more the court can do to punish him more than he has already been punished," DePersia told Superior Court Judge Angelo DiCamillo.

DePersia said the student was barred from school, the senior class trip, prom, and graduation ceremonies. Even worse, he was stripped of his National Merit Scholarship status and denied teacher recommendations, which the student said has led to college rejections.

The student submitted early applications to several Ivy League colleges, but has not been accepted despite his high achievements, DePersia said.

"I have to ask why, if you are a good student, what advantage you gained by changing the grades?" the judge asked.

The slender young man, dressed in a dark suit, nervously tried to explain. "Well, uh, it didn't improve my status much. But there was a teacher who was grading us low, and I changed the grades to make us go one letter grade higher."

DePersia said that didn't change the student's rank, but boosted the ranking of his friends. The students all had the same strict teacher in their junior year and felt their grades were undeserved.

DePersia said it was "an aberration" for his client to take such action, and noted that his parents, who attended the hearing, are supportive.

After the hearing, DePersia discounted earlier reports that his client changed the grades for others in exchange for money. "That wasn't part of his admission," he said.

The lawyer said that To allegedly figured out a teacher's password and accessed the school's computer data through "inverse probability," and ran an analysis of possible combinations.

To then allegedly provided the password to the 17-year-old student.

Cherry Hill school officials have refused to discuss the case and the penalties imposed on the other students who benefited from the grade changing, which they say was discovered during a routine audit in the fall.

Superintendent David Campbell has called it an isolated incident and said: "This type of activity will not be tolerated." School officials could not be reached for comment yesterday afternoon.

The 17-year-old student, who is now being home-schooled, would not comment after the hearing.

In court, he told the judge: "I just want to say I deeply regret my actions and nothing like them will ever happen again."

DiCamillo said that because the student had no prior arrests or crimes, and because he was a juvenile, he would not be sentenced to prison. "I'm sure if you apply yourself," the judge said, "you can make up what you lost here."