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A blockbuster notice of claim has been filed against a Long Island school district. The accusations are lodged by a former employee, who once was the highest-ranking administrator in the Wyandanch School District. Team 12 Investigates exclusively obtained the notice of claim filed by Arlise Carson, the district’s former interim superintendent. She led the district from August 2023 through June 2024. Carson claims that during her year overseeing the district, she brought at least seven issues to the attention of the Board of Education. Trustees are accused of turning a blind eye to the problems. According to the notice of claim, Carson uncovered “over 120 student grades (in Regents and non-related Regents courses) were changed in June 2023.” Team 12 Investigates first reported the grade-fixing allegations last school year. At the time, Jarod Morris was the school board president. He is now speaking exclusively with Team 12 Investigates about what he saw behind the scenes. “It was proven to be a fact that you had over 120 students who were affected by this grade change,” Morris said. “You had three administrators who were involved in it.” Yet, those administrators—middle school Principal Dr. Shannon Burton, Assistant Principal Kimberly Clinton and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Christine Jordan—are back in the district after being placed on home reassignment pending an internal investigation. The school board has not released the findings of that investigation. Carson also claims that for 1 ½ years, “the district turned away immigrant students by refusing to enroll them,” allegedly violating New York State Education law. The notice of claim outlines how the previous administration allegedly sent incorrect high school transcripts to colleges, which Carson said “impacted many students’ grade point averages and rankings.” Carson reported that trustees were allegedly upset with her for “reporting various misdeeds of the former superintendent,” who is also a pastor at their church. She also stated that trustees told her she “made the district look bad” by addressing malpractices in the district. According to the notice of claim, Carson believes she was not offered a contract proposal for superintendent of schools in retaliation for refusing demands to give one of the trustee’s nephew a job. In another instance, Carson claimed a separate trustee tried to interfere when Carson uncovered the trustee’s brother was overpaid approximately $16,000 by the district and sought to recoup the funds. The continued turmoil comes as the district experiences swift and sudden changes in its leadership. Another interim superintendent was appointed in July and there have been changes to the school board following Morris’ unexplained expulsion by board members. Morris believes he and Carson were ousted for speaking up and raising red flags. “It was a fact that we had persons, and still have them, in the Wyandanch Union Free School District who have done children wrong,” said Morris. “She and I both calling them out on this is the reason why we are where we’re at today.” None of the current school board members responded to requests for comment. "
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