Elite US military school West Point rocked by major cheating scandal
- More than 70 cadets were accused of breaking the academy’s honour code after teachers found irregularities in their exam answers
- This is the biggest such scandal at West Point since 1976, when 152 students were accused of cheating
America’s prestigious military school West Point has been shaken by its biggest cheating scandal in decades, with dozens of cadets accused of breaking the academy’s honour code in the spring.
“A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do,” reads the code of the elite school, situated 60 miles (95km) north of New York City on the banks of the Hudson River.
But in May more than 70 students were accused of cheating on their final calculus exam while learning remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic after teachers found irregularities in their answers, officials said.
Following an investigation, two cases were dropped due to lack of evidence and four cadets resigned from West Point.
Of the 67 remaining cases, 55 students admitted their guilt and have been enrolled in a “Special Leader Development Programme” to foster their rehabilitation. Eight must undergo further investigation while four will appear before a school board, officials said.