69´«Ă˝

Assessment

Nev. 69´«Ă˝ Accused of Hacking Network to Change Grades

By McClatchy-Tribune — June 15, 2011 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Authorities in Pahrump, Nev., have arrested 13 people as part of an investigation into students’ hacking into a school computer system to change class grades.

The Nye County Sheriff’s Office said Tyler Coyner, 19, allegedly gained unauthorized access to a password for the Nye County school district’s computer system while he was a senior there last school year.

Coyner, now a college student, then allegedly solicited high school student customers to pay him to change grades in the system, officials said. Authorities believe Coyner changed grades for 12 students over the course of two semesters.

The sheriff’s office also said Coyner changed his own grades so he could be recognized as the Pahrump Valley High School salutatorian.

Coyner, Matthew Miller, and Nicholas Ramoser, all 19 years old, were arrested along with 10 juveniles. The 13 face charges of altering computer data, conspiracy to commit a crime, burglary, and grand larceny.

The juveniles were turned over to Nye County Juvenile Probation. Coyner, Miller, and Ramoser were booked into the Nye County Detention Center.

The investigation into the grade-changing charges also led to charges that Coyner, Miller, and one of the arrested juveniles broke into a Pahrump Wal-Mart and stole a flat-screen television to take with them to college.

Nye County officials worked with the University of Nevada, Reno, police department to search Coyner and Miller’s dorm room, where the stolen television was recovered, officials said. During the dorm room search, authorities also found several fake identification cards.

School district officials are trying to correct grades that had been changed. Once that is complete, the district will notify colleges about students who were accepted with incorrect grades.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the June 15, 2011 edition of Digital Directions as Nev. 69´«Ă˝ Accused of Hacking Network to Change Grades

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69´«Ă˝
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Assessment Massachusetts Voters Poised to Ditch High School Exit Exam
The support for nixing the testing requirement could foreshadow public opinion on state standardized testing in general.
3 min read
Tight cropped photograph of a bubble sheet test with  a pencil.
E+
Assessment This School Didn't Like Traditional Grades. So It Created Its Own System
Principals at this middle school said the transition to the new system took patience and time.
6 min read
Close-up of a teacher's hands grading papers in the classroom.
E+/Getty
Assessment Opinion 'Academic Rigor Is in Decline.' A College Professor Reflects on AP Scores
The College Board’s new tack on AP scoring means fewer students are prepared for college.
4 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Assessment Opinion 69´«Ă˝ Shouldn't Have to Pass a State Test to Graduate High School
There are better ways than high-stakes tests to think about whether students are prepared for their next step, writes a former high school teacher.
Alex Green
4 min read
Reaching hands from The Creation of Adam of Michelangelo illustration representing the creation or origins of of high stakes testing.
Frances Coch/iStock + Education Week