Second arrest made in W.S.Neal grade tampering case

Published 9:51 am Wednesday, May 16, 2018

A second person has been arrested in connection with the grade changing scheme at W.S. Neal High School.

Lisa Carolyn Odom, 58, was charged with computer tampering.

Odom was booked into the Escambia County Jail.

Earlier this week, W.S. Neal student Matthew Hutchins, 18, was arrested on the same charge.

The Alabama Attorney General’s office is in charge of the case.

Odom

Superintendent John Knott said he could not comment on the arrest portion but said that school officials and the state department of education are working tirelessly to get records in order to be able to announce a Top 10 by graduation Tuesday night.

Nearly two weeks ago, Knott confirmed that WSN administrators found discrepancies where grades on report cards did not match transcripts.

Knott said the discrepancies were found when school officials were finalizing the Top 10 students for the Class of 2018.

“We began to address the discrepancies and have determined that some changes were made,” Knott said.

Knott reported the issue to the state department of education and additional manpower and resources have been brought in to help resolve the matter.

It is still unclear how many students grades were affected.