BATTERY PARK CITY — A Stuyvesant High School senior who was accused of cheating on Regents tests is suing the city, arguing that the scandal will stand in the way of getting into a top college, according to reports.
The teen, one of 66 Stuyvesant students who were suspended for allegedly sharing answers on the high-stakes Regents tests last spring, claims the city never gave students a chance to tell their side of the story, the New York Post reported.
The student, who has not been identified, admitted receiving a text message with answers for one Regents test — but the student claims he or she did not get the text until after the test was over and immediately told the sender to stop, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Michael Rakower, the student's lawyer, told the Journal the Department of Education's cancelation of his client's Regents score put the student at a major disadvantage in getting into college.
"Every college admissions officer in the country is aware of the scandal at Stuyvesant," Rakower said. "In this world of highly competitive college applications, any red flag is likely to be the factor that’s used against the applicant."
On Tuesday, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge rejected the student’s request to immediately reinstate his or her test scores and bar the city from disclosing information about the incident to colleges, according to reports.
A city spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal, “The DOE acted appropriately in this situation.”
