Report eyes Bellport HS athlete's grades

A Bellport athlete's grades were improperly changed to help get him an athletic scholarship and his district's superintendent "must have been involved or must have known what was going on," according to an investigator's preliminary report.

South Country Central School District called for the independent investigation in December after fired Bellport High School principal Kevin O'Connell said he was let go for failing to raise the student's marks. O'Connell has filed a wrongful termination suit against the district.

The preliminary report contends Joe Cipp Jr., the high school football coach who became the district's superintendent in 2010, was likely either involved or knew what was going on when it came to changing the athlete's grades. Cipp "created an atmosphere of pressure upon the administration to make sure Ryan Sloan got the NCAA scholarship," the report said.

Cipp, who retired as football coach last year, has repeatedly denied changing or authorizing a change to athlete Ryan Sloan's grades.

The superintendent did not return calls Tuesday but issued a statement. "I am troubled by the unauthorized release of private information pertaining to district staff and students," he said in the statement. "Such a release can only be seen as an attempt to influence the findings of the final report by the independent investigator in the court of public opinion."

His attorney, Patrick O'Connell, pointed out that it was Cipp who asked for the investigation. "He never altered any grades," O'Connell said. "He never directed any person to alter or change any grades whatsoever in this matter."

Patrick O'Connell stressed that the 58-page preliminary report is not complete and that new information could change the results.

Bronwyn Black, the Melville attorney conducting the investigation, gave the preliminary report to the school board on Jan. 17 and has told school officials she is waiting to examine additional records and talk to witnesses before issuing a final draft.

Black did not return repeated calls about the document, the existence of which was first reported Monday on the New York Post's website.

The South Country school board issued a statement Tuesday that said Black has received some of the additional records. "That information would disclose who physically changed certain grades," the board said.

And Sloan, who is now a freshman at Syracuse University and is on the football team, said in a phone interview Monday that he was not aware of the document's details. "Honestly, I'm not going to say anything about it," he said.

Sloan, who graduated from Bellport in June 2011, has said he worked hard to improve his grades.

Black's report said Sloan's grades in several subjects -- geometry, algebra, physical education and health -- were changed at the request of school administrators.

Sue Edson, the Syracuse assistant director of athletics for communications, said, "We are not able to address as they pertain to academic records, which are private as mandated by FERPA [the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act]."

NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn did not return messages left for comment Tuesday.

Sloan's former guardian, Edward Carson, said the student did nothing wrong.

"So we're not really concerned about it," Carson said. "He's worried about his studies and he's worried about his sports program. That's what we told him to continue worrying about because none of this stuff happening up here in Bellport has anything to do with him."

With Tania Lopez and Anthony Rieber