Santa Maria principal accused of falsifying athletes’ transcripts
February 7, 2024
By KAREN VELIE
The official registrar for St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria has accused the principal of altering transcripts and ordering others to falsify high-performing athletes’ grades on official transcripts.
Connie Plata, the school’s registrar, filed a blistering lawsuit last week against principal Erinn Dougherty and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Education and Welfare Corporation after Dougherty allegedly ordered her to violate the law and then retaliated against her after she refused. The suit alleges failure to investigate, harassment, retaliation, discrimination and infliction of emotional distress.
“On at least one occasion, after Plata refused to break the law and falsely inflate student grades and fraudulently revise official transcripts, Dougherty marched into Plata’s office after hours, closed the door, and began to yell at and belittle Plata for not being on board and refusing to follow her commands to change official student records,” according to the lawsuit.
In the lawsuit filed on Jan. 29, Plata accuses Dougherty of asking her to changes athletes’ grades and to falsely add college coursework credits to official transcripts. In addition, Plata accuses Dougherty of ordering school staff to change Dougherty’s own daughter’s grades.
After Plata allegedly refused to change a transcript, in 2023 an institution of higher learning contacted Plata about a “revised” transcript. In the suit, Plata accuses Dougherty of going around her and illegally revising that transcript.
Even though Plata repeatedly reported Dougherty’s alleged misconduct to the diocese, the diocese “failed and refused to take any action or even perform an investigation,” according to the lawsuit.
“Adding insult to injury, Plata’s job duties were recently downsized,” according to the lawsuit. “Beginning in Jan. 2024, after Plata refused multiple directives from defendants to falsify student records, Plata was informed that she would no longer be handling any part of the SJHS admissions process.”
The lawsuit, which accuses Dougherty of fraud, seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages and court cost and legal fees.
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