Principal of prestigious performing arts high school allegedly faked class, grades

The former principal of a prestigious performing arts high school that turned out Grammy Award winners Boyz II Men hit a sour note in October — when he was accused of passing out fake grades for a concocted history class.

John Dunphy Jr., who was named principal of Philadelphia’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in July, was removed by the district in October for allegedly creating a phony world history course and then doling out fake grades to 18 juniors at the school, the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

It’s unclear why Dunphy invented the class, which is required for graduation from the school, which has a national reputation in arts education and has produced musical groups like Boyz II Men and musicians such as Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the drummer for The Roots.

The development has forced Philadelphia school district officials to report the matter to the state Department of Education, which may trigger a formal investigation into the incident, the newspaper reports.

“The kids were never enrolled in this independent-study class,” one parent, who requested anonymity, told the newspaper.

Dunphy, meanwhile, had been reassigned to Furness High School as an assistant principal and earns $124,253 annually, district officials told the newspaper. After arriving in late October, he was placed on leave by Thanksgiving and resigned in January.

“The district made the decision that during the due process the employee in question be provided with leave with pay,” a school district spokesman told the newspaper. “It is against the district’s policy to comment on specifics regarding personnel actions.”

Dunphy declined to comment, but his attorney, Harry Levant, told the Philadelphia Daily News that he has since decided to “pursue other interests.”