The Baltimore school system has threatened about 120 principals with disciplinary action, including termination, if their schools fail to provide a complete set of records for each student by the end of this month.
Warning letters were sent to the principals recently after two state audits turned up evidence that missing and incomplete student records have become a widespread problem in city schools.
The latest audit, released in January, revealed incomplete records for 21 percent of the special education students who had dropped out by the 11th grade. Another audit conducted in April 2005 found, among other things, missing health records among the more than 1,300 general student records examined.
The first audit was conducted in response to a student reconds scandal at Walbrook Uniform Services Academy in the spring of 2004 that allowed hundreds of students to graduate or advance to the next grade even though they hadn't completed academic requirements.
Jimmy Gittings, president of the administrative union of Baltimore City public schools - which represents principals, vice principals and other top administrators - challenges the directive by city school officials.
At a recent school board meeting, Gittings said principals have trouble updating records because of high student turnover in city schools. He said that other systems do not have the same issues and that it can take up to a day to update just one student file.
Gittings objected to the threat of firing principals who don't meet the deadline to get their schools' records up-to-date.
"The state and courts have to understand that we have a very transient population," Gittings said. "But my concern is the tone and the threats to the principals. That was disrespectful and makes no sense at all."
Baltimore City schools interim CEO Charlene Cooper Boston said this week that accurate records are a priority for her because of the system's recent history. Boston, who has applied for the permanent position but refers questions about her status in the search to the school board, said she is following state orders that all student records be accurate.
"I'm disturbed," Boston said of the condition of current student records. "I think most of the administrators are working hard at this. It's a task that we haven't been too successful with in the past. So I bring in probably a level of accountability. The state has directed that we have improvement in our records, so I'm following through."
Boston said she understands the difficulty that principals face in updating records but said it's part of their responsibilities.
"Understand that you're accountable for everything, the recordkeeping, the performance of the students, the attendance. You're the principal; you're responsible," Boston said.
Charles Buckler, director of student services and alternative programs for the state, said other systems also face problems with transient students. His department oversaw audits of all the 24 school systems in Maryland two years ago.
For example, Buckler said, the school districts on Maryland's borders frequently have to deal with students moving to and from the state, "and we've vowed to offer those districts support."
State regulations
Maryland education regulations require schools to have information on enrollment, attendance and promotion for all students. In April 2005, state officials pulled a random sample of student records at 43 city high schools and found missing standardized test scores, incomplete immunization requirements and outdated information on students' addresses.
The state requires local school systems to provide record cards for each student. Record cards include attendance data, test performances, health information and transfer records.
State officials say many systems require their schools to use a uniform recordkeeping system - with some using computers - but the city does not.
"They just have a little manila folder, where they stick records in it and put it in filing room," said Carol Ann Baglin, assistant state superintendent for special education and early-intervention services. "So when we go out and ask for records, they have to go through a whole roomful of folders to dig them out."
Although the state's most recent report focuses on children receiving special education services, Baglin said the concern about incomplete records applies to the general student population.
"We only looked at special ed, but these are not special ed folders. They're general folders," Baglin said. "The city is making some progress in certain areas, but in the area of records, there is still sufficiently a very serious problem for all children."
Walbrook problems
In the summer of 2004, an audit of Walbrook transcripts found that some students who participated in the graduation ceremony the previous spring and received diplomas didn't have all the credits they needed to graduate.
After problems were discovered with records, many recent graduates' plans for work or college were derailed as officials hurried to arrange a special summer-school session for those who were improperly given diplomas. Other students learned that they would have to repeat a grade because of missing credits they had been unaware of.
Current mayoral candidate Andrey Bundley was principal of Walbrook then, and he was subsequently suspended by the city school system. Bundley was reassigned and is now an intervention coordinator in the city school system.
City schools officials said at the time that it was a breakdown in administrative procedures at Walbrook that allowed students to be promoted, including a failure to keep student records up to date.
The next spring, state officials embarked on an audit of all 24 school systems in Maryland, beginning with Baltimore City.
"We took that as a wake-up call that we need to do a lot more than we had been doing," Buckler said.
Last month, area academic officers from the city school system sent the letters of reprimand to principals who were out of compliance, saying in bold letters that they have until May 31 to "ensure completeness and accuracy of the students records entrusted to your care and maintenance."
Baglin said accurate records are especially important in Baltimore because of a decades-old lawsuit.
The state and the city school system are co-defendants in a suit filed in 1984 by lawyers for students with disabilities, alleging that they are being denied their right to an adequate education.
"It's important for Baltimore City in this lawsuit to be able to demonstrate that they are in fact filling all the needs," Baglin said.
"For them, they have an awful lot at stake for having good records to show that they're doing what they need to do to resolve issues around the consent decree."
Gittings, the official for the Administrators Union, said most principals have about 10 or fewer student files not adequately updated. Gittings added that the number is so low that, in many of the cases, it should not have warranted a letter.
Fudge factor
"And if I'm in the [principals'] situation next time, I'm going to say that I have 100 percent complete even if I have 99 percent done," Gittings said.
System officials said in the letter that principals had ample time to update all student files.
Boston originally wanted updated records by March 31 but gave principals a two-month extension. She said she would consider recommending the termination of principals if "there has been a pattern of poor recordkeeping, and it shows that it was a direct relationship to the administration of that particular administrator."
"Everything is hard for us," Boston said. "Baltimore City is hard. But my goal is to have 100 percent accuracy of all records."
brent.jones@baltsun.com