Investigators say they have uncovered more than 2,500 grade changes across South Bend high schools — but concerns about those changes may have surfaced nearly two years ago.
Former high school English teacher Joseph Beachey told the South Bend School Board in 2023 that he was resigning after witnessing what he described as widespread cheating and pressure to pass students who hadn’t earned their credits.
“I couldn’t sit there and do that anymore — getting pressured to pass kids that cheated their way through graduation,” Beachey told the board. “And some of those kids… man, they could really be something, if they just had the right push.”
Beachey said he saw students rack up credits in a matter of weeks using online credit recovery programs. One student, he claimed, jumped from fewer than 20 credits to 40 in just a month.
“I had other students, I was like, ‘How many classes do you cheat on?’ and they’re like, ‘Oh, like every one!’” he said.
At the time, Beachey’s concerns went largely unaddressed.
Now, investigators Tim Corbett and Joe Speybroeck — hired earlier this year by the South Bend School Board — say their findings support those early warnings. In an update to the board last week, the pair detailed more than 2,500 individual grade changes involving students receiving credit for courses they never completed.
Auditor Dianne Froehlke, who reviewed the student data, said the numbers support the allegations.
“There were reports that were given that grades had been changed,” Froehlke said. “What we found is that there is evidence that supports those claims.”
The South Bend Tribune first reported Beachey’s 2023 remarks, which were made during a public meeting and documented in a district YouTube video.
The investigation is ongoing. Board members have not said when they expect a final report.
