dr. kevin maxwell denied any wrongdoing. the false allegations about our graduation rates strike at everything that prince george's county schools stand for, past, present and future. allegations denigrate why teachers teach and why principals lead. they are a personal attack on every teacher , counselor, administrator and employee in this system. >> in the crowd people who stand on both sides of this issue proven or not. it is a fact that some parents know that their children didn't attend school, but maybe 630 days out of 180. so how did they graduate? explain the passing grade without enough attending days. a greump principals stood together to speak out against the fraud claims. as an education l al professional shouldn't we want to set the bar for graduation within the grasp of our students? but now when we are finally gaining momentum when we are finally seeing the fruits of our labor some want to question or cast doubt on our students' accomplishments. more people here wanted to speak, but comment was denied by the ma

dr. kevin maxwell and he so interview requests. "fox5" will be at the state board of education meeting and continue to lead the way on coverage of the story. >> stage for bill cosby next trial shifts to california a hearing scheduled in santa monica to set a trial date in a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting a teen at the playboy mansion more than 40 years ago. judy huff accuses cosby of forcing thor perform a sext act around 74 when she was 15 years old. >> d.c. mayor muriel bowser willing doing something that we'll report on later the words just didn't appear but the weather could not wait. >> it's too good we cannot wait and we'll get to it. yesterday was just fantastic. we have now been able to string together low humidity. perfection and rare for late june. let's go it again today, 68 to

dr. kevin maxwell. voted to begin an investigation into the allegations. >> melanie alnwick live in upper marlboro this morning with more details. good morning, mel. >> reporter: good morning and that also comes after school ceo dr. kevin maxwell was reappointed for a second term by county executive rushern baker. that happened back in march and that also made dr. kevin maxwell the superintendent -- the only one to reach term in more than 25 years. the county school board at the time applauded the reappointment of dr. maxwell saying continued growth of the school system is best served with him at the helm. now after those allegations of grade fixing and records manipulation the prince george's county naacp wants to put ahold on the second term. its members are asking county executive baker to call dr. maxwell the interim ceo until the state investigation is completed. in the letter naacp president robert ross says dr. maxwell doesn't have the confidence of the community parents or students and that the

dr. kevin maxwell declined request for interview and provided statement denying allegations. should be interesting to watch. we'll have the full investigation tonight at 10 10:00. >> youtube cracking down on terror content make owing fen receive videos partner to find what the social media giant is doing to restrict amount of extremist content on the site. >> and later fox follow up on the death of be loved "star wars" actress carriie fisher >> a member of president tr trump's legal team denies the president is under federal investigation in the ongoing case the attorney made mistake of appearing on several sunday morning talk shows. >> and supreme court monday struck down reports of the trademark rule and it's expected to help washington redskins and legal fight of the teeth name. >> actress carrie had coc cocaine, heroin and he can tasy in her system when she became hill on a flight last year. she died four days later. >> and lincoln memorial reflecting pool reopened after a thorough leapingen pool was drained and treated for par site in the water blamed for killing 80 duck

dr. kevin maxwell. >>> the travel ban is back. but not without another legal challenge. good evening, i'm jim handly. >> i'm doreen gentzler. a new limited version of president trump's order restricting travel to the u.s. took effect at 8:00 tonight. minutes before that, hawaii filed a legal challenge to the new rules. those rules stop people from iran, libya, somalia, sudan, syria, and yemen from getting visas to the u.s. unless they have a bona fide relationship with a relative, school, or business here. >> it's the definition of close relative that hawaii's attorney general is challenging tonight. news4's jackie bensen has more from >> reporter: what we did not see here, jim, are the protests that we saw after the administration's first attempt at a travel ban. tension and uncertainty crackled in the air in the international arrivals area of dulles airport. people were just aware that parts of the travel ban had gone into effect. but there was nothing like the uproar there was in january, when people

dr. maxwell should be imposed on these employees p prince george's county schools ceo dr. kevinwell spoke to fox5 as the maryland state board of education approved the hiring of outside investigators to look into the allegations. >> i want to resolve this matter. there is no systemic corruption, there's nothing from me or anyone who is on my direct team that is telling people that they should do anything illegal. >> it is unclear when the investigation will start but dr. maxwell says he's fully cooperative. the state board of education president tells us they want it done soon. the state has to go through a bidding process though to hire an outside investigator. >> heads up if you ride metro's red line. a new project will that disrupt service for at least a month. metro is beginning a pilot program to test a tunnel waterproofing technique. red line trains will single tracking every week night between friendship heights and medical center starting at 9 p.m. red line train service will also be suspended on both tracks for four weekends between july 15th and august 6th. shuttle bus

dr. kevin maxwell, school ceo of prince george's county public schools finally addressed those allegations on camera tonight and was passionate in his defense of the school district. >> reporter: parents and union members walked in to the school board meeting sing we shall overcome, their frustration over multiple alleged missteps was hard to miss. >> this administration is quick to deny versus investigate allegations that are brought forth. >> reporter: during the meeting the graduation rate controversy took center stage. that some parents know that their children didn't attend school but maybe 60 days out of 180. so how did they graduate? >> reporter: but dr. kevin maxwell was quick to respond. >> there's been no systemic effort ordered by me or others acting on my behalf. to promote students in order to inflate graduation rate. all of our efforts are focused on providing students with multiple pathways to success. >> reporter: he was not alone in that defense either. >> high school principals are extremely offended about the allegations and hurtful accusations that we pressure teachers

dr. kevin maxwell spoke publicly about aemss of great changes and fraud to boost graduation rate so. they is still refusing to talk us to one-on-one. lindsay watt was first to report on allegations of fraud made by four board members. live in upper marboro with the latest, lindsay. >> the board meeting is just now finishing up. dr. maxwell is refusing to come talk to us. we have made it clear we are ready and waiting for him to apps our questions. and the allegations here have divided countsy leaders and school employees with some begging the state to come in and investigate this and others denying that there's any possibility of fraud. >>> educate and graduate, educate then graduate. >> a rally before the school board meeting included teachers. activists and parents. >> my daughter graduated with a 3.7 sitting on distinguished row and had to take remedial classes for a year. there's something wrong with this picture. >> these are supporters. the four board members that contacted the state aling that widespread corruption allowed hundreds of students to graduate without meeting state

dr. kevin max el he said he will fully cooperate with an investigation and make sure that employees feel they can freely come forward. tony. interesting developments there, thank you lindsay. tomorrow morning dr. kevin maxwell will be joining us to discuss the investigation into grade inflation. be sure to tune in to fox5 news morning. it's an interview that you won't want to miss. >> fox5 is in fairfax county tonight where police need your help identifying a man behind a disturbing attack on a man hold ing a baby. it happened last saturday at a gift shop inside fair oaks mall in fairfax . police say prior to the assault the suspect allegedly attempted to steel something from the store and was asked to leave. minutes later he returned to the store causing even more trouble. he kept say ing call mall security and then that's when i stepped in and asked him nicely to leave, please. and then he proceeded to call me names and my daughter names. and then he pulled out called us names while he's recording. so i lightly pushed his phone out of my face and then that's, i guess his temper just got out of hand. the victim's wife is a manager in the store. fairfax county police say if you recognize the man give them a

dr. kevin maxwell has repeatedly denied including in public at last week's school board meeting. dr.axwell has denied repeated requests for an interview with fox5 but last night gave us this statement. "from the beginning i have maintained politics l the heart of these accus accusations. we look forward to collaborating to resolve this matter ." dr. maxwell has the support of the majority of the board. they wrote their own letter to the state last week blasting the grade inflation claims and last night based on fox5's latest reporting on the governor calling for an investigation, the chair of the school boards eubanks tweeted this quote. what a shocker. fox5 continues to break new ground on this investigation. coming up at 7:30 on fox5 news morning state delegate jaywalker will join us live. he heads the prince george's county delegation in the maryland general assembly. he's discuss concerns over a prior state investigation done >> we still do not know what caused a deadly apartment building fire in northwest that blaze broke out early saturday morning. yesterday officials found a m

dr. kevin maxwell has repeatedly denied including in public at last week's school board meeting. dr. maxwell has denied repeated requests for an interview with fox5 but last night gave us this statement "from the beginning i have maintained that politics lie at the root of these accusations. there has been no systemic effort to promote students who did not meet state graduation requirements in order to inflate our graduation rates. we look forward to collaborating with the maryland state depa department f education to resolve this matter ." dr. maxwell has the support of the majority of the board. they wrote their own letter blasting the grade inflation fox5's latest reporting on on the governor calling for an investigation, the chair of the school board banks tweeted this, quote "what a shocker." fox5 continues to break new ground. coming upstate delegate jaywalker is going to join us live. he heads had the prince george's county delegation in the maryland general assembly. he will discuss concerns over a prior state investigation that was done on this same issue. >> ♪ >> we're foll

dr. kevin maxwell has repeatedly denied. next hour jaywalker will join us.rior investigations done on the same issue. >> time for the morning line. quick check on sports. big night ahead at nats mark washington as warrant welcome the world series champion cubs into town. chicago here for a four game set. gio gonzalez versus eddie butler. nats used up all their runs on saturday yesterday did not get the job the losest. by the end of the second inning it was six-nothing reds. nats loss six-two. out of the 29 losses they have on the season 22 loose have come in day games. >> we got to improve our day to improve our daytime record because th that's our -- that'sa nemesis. we got to find way to come out early in daytime games. >> orioles looking to get back to .500 f baltimore with three runs in the ninth. bullpen came through aren't the birds beat the rays eight to five. >>> a promotion for tim tebow moving up slowly. he had been playing for the columbia fireflies which is low a. tim tebow playing well. >>> kevin harvick ending a long losing streak. the formatte

dr. kevin maxwell's contract pending outcome of the great fixing investigation. and the chapter sent 'let to county executive ray certain baker saying that employees were placed on a based on suspicious of wrong doing. in every case these teachers were moved out ever abundance of caution and fear the employees would interfere with the investigation. we believe dr. maxwell should be held to the same standard imposed on these employees. we've reach out to executive's office for comment and waiting to hear back. meantime dr. maxwell spoke to "fox5" this morning for the first time since we broke the story. >> also, developing tonight these help are accused of st stealing 21,000 worm ever alcohol from montgomery. calvin snowden jr. is an employ 'and she stole boxes of alcohol from the warehouse in gam gameerdburg several time over the last four monthsment security caught him near the warehouse in may and node ep was arrested today. >> in mtion county a house caught fire. spontaneous combustion is to blame. >> tisha is th is not something you talk about all time. i don

dr. kevin maxwell is the first schools chief here in prince george's county to be appointed by the county executive rather than hired by the school board. he also w was reappointed to a second term just this past march and he is the first second term schools chief here in prince george's county in more than 25 years. now, at the time, the county school board applauded dr. maxwell's reappointment saying that consistency at the top serves the school system very well. now, after allegations of grade fixing and manipulation, the pg naacp wants to put ahold on dr. maxwell's second term its members are asking county executive baker to call dr. maxwell the interim ceo until the state investigation is completed. in the remember naacp president robert ross says dr. maxwell doesn't have the confidence of the community and also says the problem would be made worse by continued tolerance of what he calls dr. maxwell's unbridled conduct. now speaking to fox5 for the first time since four board members brought their complaint to the governor, dr. maxwell strongly denied the allegations and said he welc

dr. kevin maxwell did a pier education to go ahead and do that independent investigation. it's too early to say yet when it will begin. we can tell you that the state board of education president told us that they want it done soon but they also want it to be done thoughtfully and carefully. after a regreingt governor hogan maryland state board of board of education voted unanimously to hire out of state investigators. four school board members three elected and one student have alleged widespread fraud. they have evidence hundred of students graduated without meeting state requirements and there's grade fixing and manipulation. increasing graduation rates have been made a top priority since appointed ceo owe by baker in 2013. he began a program of aggressive focus on 9th grade others to have a better chance of success as seniors. some told "fox5" there's a top of pressure coming down to make sure students graduate. maxwell and majority of board strongly denied there's any truth to the charges of falsely inflated graduation rates. the state board want investigation to end

dr. kevin maxwell for his response and this is what he says. >> these claims are at the heart of our administrators students and parents, deny any systemic effort to promote students who did not graduation requirements. the next step, the board of education will launch an investigation into this matter. >>> coconut oil is a popular supplement, what about those warnings not to use it? we have heard them too and we will verify them. >>> and track the aftermath of two -- two terror attacks. >>> these stories and full look >>> events over the world, london can't catch a break. tribute being set up after a man ran his van into a group at a mosque. the suspect from whales. he has been arrested and the police call this a paris attack. >>> over in paris a driver rammed his car filled with weapons and explosives into a police van. this is near the popular [indiscernible] potential extreme. >> reporter: , thankfully no one else was hurt. was held prisoner in north korea has passed away. otto warm bert was a student when a court sentenced him to 15 years in prison with hard labor after he was convicted of tak

dr. kevin maxwell spoke publically about allegations of grade changing and fraud to boost the graduation one-on-one. our annie yu though is live with us now to tell us a little bit about what went down. >> hey holly and wisdom. a lot of people out there demanding answers. we have been following this for weeks now. we've been asking to speak to school ceo dr. kevin maxwell for weeks now about these very serious allegations and though he is still refusing to speak to us one-on-one he did speak publically last night to a room filled with people who stand on both sides of this issue. he specifically addressed the allegations being made by four school board members of grade fixing to boost the graduation rate in the county. now, prior to the meeting, right outside frustrated teachers and parents rallied. the group in support of the board members who contacted the state alleging that widespread corruption allowed hundreds of students to graduate without meeting board member edward burroughs one of the four board members and he says additional people have come forward since these allegations we

dr. kevin maxwell spoke to fox 5 in dep and for the first time since we broke the news of claims of grade fixing to boost graduation rates. the exclusive interview comes as the maryland state board of education has approved the hiring of outside investigators to look into the claims. >> these accusations that there is systemic core reputation are completely and utterly false. the reason you've gone on board with the investigation is what? >> to make sure we put this to rest once and for all. these allegations were first alleged about a year ago in the school year, and were investigated by the department of education and both msde and the united states department of education cleared us of any concerns whatsoever and closed the matter. that these four board members reopened it is sad. >> reporter: why do you think, dr. maxwell, then that this continues to be there, continues to fester, be brought to the forefront if a previous investigation, as you say cleared the school district? >> you'll have to ask the people bringing these allegations about systemic corruption, they're just not true.

dr. kevin maxwell made surprise stops at high schools with graduation rates over 90 percent. when max maxwell came up to our school with an entourage to celebrate our high graduation rates we all held with laughter because we knew tha fraudulent. >> most of the counselors laugh at it because we know that it's not real. >> the teachers and guidance counselor we spoke to wanted their identities concealed for fear of retaliation. they work at different high schools, but tell the same story. they were banking everything on graduation rates and things of that nature so there's incredible pressure coming from the central office onto all of the principals of all the schools to push kids through whether they've really earned the credits or not. it comes down from the county, it comes down to the principles that come down to the staff. it's what are you going to do to make sure that they pass rather than what you going to make sure that they learn. >> boosting the graduation rate has been a top priority for dr. maxwell. prince george's county had been lagging behind the state average

dr. kevin maxwell and says she asked him to identify others with whom she could talk to. in january she spent several hours interviewing maxwell and four brought in. none of them recalled any complaints that grades had been changed. the investigator says she found no wrongdoing and the case was closed. i think that prior investigation actually makes this because the superintendent did not notify the board that we were under investigation for something so serious. dave murray is one of four board members calling for the state to come back and investigate new claims of fraud and manipulation of student records. i've heard it the from people at all levels , from teachers to parents to the students themselves. dr. maxwell and the school board chair immediately fired back denying the allegations. we trust and believe in our students and our staff and believe that when all is said and done we'll find out that the students who graduatedded because they worked hard and they were supported well by their administrators. the majority of the school board wrote this letter questioning

dr. kevin maxwell continues to refuse our request for interview he calls it politically moti motivated. as far as he's concerned it has nothing to do with politics but ensuring students in prince george county have the opportunity for a great education. in salisburyy, lindsey watts, "fox5 local news". >> i major development over the travel ban that supreme court said it will allow the ban to go forward on limited basis while it waits to hear case in the fall. it created a fire storm of protest last winter when the administration barred travel to use h u.s. from six mostly muslim countries and the latest on what is next. >>. >> reporter: in the short term there is major victory for trump administration. this decision allows them to go ahead wh it was turned away twice in lower courts and supreme court says it takes and hears this case when they reron convene next fall. supreme court experts say even decided to take this case indicates there's hope for the trump administration to get this travel ban through once and for all. at issue here are the two appellate courts that ruled that the t

dr. kevin maxwell joined the calls for an investigation into this. it's the first time he's done this. his letter was red before the votes. this letter is to serve as a formal request for a follow up investigation by the maryland state department of education into allegations regarding the prince george's county county public schools, high school graduation rates since my arrival. >> in his h letter, maxwell continued to deny that he or anybody working for him has promoted students in order to inflate the graduation rate. four prince george's county school board members contacted the governor saying they have evidence that in the last few years hundreds of students have graduated without meeting state requirements. they cl widespread systemic corruption. what they wanted was an investigation like this one and today they got it. we fawkd to the president of the state board of ed asking him will this start this summer? he says it's too early to commit to that and first the state has to find an outside organization to investigate. we want to expedite it because there are so many questions

dr. kevin maxwell who has been rehired by the county for another fo million but critics say he rules with an iron fist to silence opponents. >> you're going to physically remove me. >> last week the school administration used police to prevent a disdent board of education -- and cut off two student leaders invited by borrows to speak. >> it raises the question of what lengths they're willing to go to for someone that does not agree with them. and that sets a horrendous precedent to use police force on an elected official. >>> of course all of this being expressed in a public meeting like the one last night is only one view of superintendent maxwell. the other one is of a tough but effective superintendent who has raised test scores here in the county and who claims he raised the graduation rate but maxwell denied my request to simply sit down and talk about all of this one on one and clear the air. i stead in the wake of last night's meeting, he statement that said in part, our results speak for themselves. reporting live in prince georges county, scott broom, wusa9. >>> thanks. dr. maxwe

dr. kevin maxwell had joined the calls for an investigation writing a letter to the state superintendent. this letter is to serve as a formal request for a followup investigation by the maryland state department education into allegations regarding the prince george's county public schools, high school graduation rates since my arrival. maxwell continues to deny the allegations brought forward by four school board members. they say they have evidence hundreds of students have graduated without meeting state requirements. that there is grade fixing and records manipulation. i'm in favor of the investigation, but i do hope that it can be wrapped up very quickly. >> sarah leonard just graduated from prince george's county. she says she does have questions about how the number of graduates increased over the last few years. it's great that so many people grad ited, but did our reading scores yupg, our mat scores go up. she says while she wants to get to the truth she also feels this is putting her own diploma into question. >> people were like did they eastern their diplomas at prince george'

dr. kevin maxwell for weeks now about these very serious allegations.mentioned he's still refusing to speak to us one-on-one but he did speak publically to a room full of people who stand on both sides of this issue. he specifically addressed the allegations being made by four board members. frustrated teachers and parents rallied outside chanting holding signs. the group in support of the four board members has been contacted the state they are alleging widespread corruption allowed students to graduate without meeting requirements. he says additional people have come forward since these allegations were brought to light. fox5 has spoke to members and staff who say the board members are correct. the county executive denying corruption claims as well as ceo dr. maxwell firing back denying any wrongdoing. >> the false allegations about our everything that prince george's county schools stand for past, present and future. these allegations denigrate why teachers teach and the why principals lead. they are a personal attack on every teacher, counselor, adm

dr. kevin maxwell was appointed as ceo of schools. maxwell has made it a top priority to boost the county's graduation rate which had been lagging the state average. it looked like a success story with record numbers announced earlier this year. we reached out to govern or larry hogan's office and a spokes woman tells us that i can confirm that the governor 's office is in receipt of this letter, the allegations are very concerning and they have been forwarded to the maryland state department of education. fox5 has spoken to numerous school employees about this issue who say the board members claims are correct. they say there is intense pressure to increase the graduation rate from the central office onto principles down onto staff members. the staff knows exactly what's happening. so it's widespread. i have a student who failed the class and they were like, well, you need to just go ahead and make sure she gets a d because she's been there every day. i think we're doing an injustice to the student allowing them to graduate when they

dr. kevin maxwell speaking to fox5 this morning in his first television interview since we broke the storyons of grade fixing to boost graduation rates. more and on what he had to say in this exclusive interview coming up in just minutes. >>> good wednesday morning to you i'm allison seymour. >> i'm steve chenevey. thanks so much for joining us this morning. >>> 8:00 a.m. june 28th, 2017. here's what else is on the fox5 news morning menu. breaking overnight in northeast d.c., a deadly crash involving a an amtrak train and apparently 2csx this morning commuters are dealing with delays as how that fatal accident happened. >>> and another massive cyber attack sweeps the globe. taking over thousands of computers and crippling busineses a closer look at the impact coming up. >>> plus big boost for amazon the company teaming up with local group to help the homeless community in the district and they're making the big announcement live in a fox5 exclusive this hour. >>> live look right now though outside. a pretty day out there on dap. tucker will be along shortly with all the details. >> absolut

dr. kevin maxwell. tonight he's indenyg those allegations and blaming politics for the claim. >>> here's what to expect this week. the supreme court could decide the fate of president trump's travel ban. that's the ban on visitors to the u.s. from six mostly muslim countries. if they decide in favor, that ban could go into effect in about three days. they also, though, could agree could decide to push a decision until the fall. >>> it's looking like more republican senators may not be happy with the senate's version of the healthcare bill that. means it may not pass. president trump made a push to get republicans on board and wendy gillette breaks it all down for us from new york. >> reporter: president trump is promising some last minute changes to the senate republican healthcare bill to try to secure enough votes to get the legislation passed. >> we have a very good plan. we have a few people that are i think you could say modestly -- they're not standing on the rooftops and screaming -- they want to

dr. kevin maxwell announced all schools would be tested. the first time since 2009.axwell has refused to speak to the item on camera. i just got my hands on the latest lead testing results, which you won't see on the district website. so far 17 of 29 schools tested above the district recommended guideline of ten parts per billion, including jesse b. mason regional school, which has lead levels as high as 243 parts per billion. >> i am outraged honestly. i think it's despicable. >> school board member ed bureau says it's time for drastic measures. >> i believe we should shut off every fountain in the school district and have them opt in. once they are tested and we know they are safe, then turn them on. >> i put the test results on wjla.com. just look for my story. the district just said test results mirror what we expected. students are not been exposed to water with high levels of lead. high levels. scott taylor, abc7 news. alison: thank you. update to the pedestrian tunnel in pentagon city. we told you in march renovations were finished in the tunnel at the interse

dr. kevin maxwell he was here along with staff and members, as we've been reporting new student safety policies were put in place to address cases of child abuse by school staff meant to better protect kids. some employees say it's gone overbore. we're innocent people and if people are being pulled out of schools unnecessarily. what we heard is that the vast majority of the more than 800 cases reported to child protection services have been screened out. meaning they have not risen to the level of an investigation. it's been more minor inappropriate behavior. the plan for this summer is to make sure that school employees are fully aware both of expectations ands. appraisals will be doing training to do their own investigation to be more selective about how they involve cps. he hopes to see these allegations handled more appropriately and more quickly. >> i'm confident that new strategies are applied we'll see significantly better result, and sensible people on administrative leave for less amount of time. and hopefully, if not not necessarily less reporting, but again, we talked about the fact

dr. kevin maxwell made surprise stops t at high schools with graduation rates over 90 percent . when maxwell came up to our school with an entourage to celebrate our high graduation rates we all held with laughter because we knew that they were completely fraudulent. most of the counselors laugh at it because we know that it's not teachers and guidance counselor we spoke to wanted their identities concealed for fear of retaliation. they work at different high schools, but tell the same story. they're banking everything on graduation rates and things of that nature. so there's incredible pressure coming from the central office onto all of the principals at all the schools to push kids through whether they've really earned the creditses or not. it comes down to the county, that comes down to the principals that come down to the staff. it's what do you want to do to make sure that they pass rather than what are you going to do to make sure they learn. boosting the graduation rate has been the top priority for dr. maxwell. prince george's county has been lagging behind before making

dr. kevin maxwell says the u.s.artment of education cleared the district of the same allegations earlier this year. back over to you. >>> erika, thank you. this morning, markelle fultz is probably still taking it all in. huge night for the prince george's county native and our area last night. >> looks good, too. he went number one in the nba draft. >> the philadelphia 76ers select markelle fultz from university of washington. >> the 19-year-old is from upper marlboro. went to demath i catholic in high yachtsville. his first thought was about, yep, his mom >> i was thinking about how much sacrifice that table has given me. just everything they've done for me. knowing that this is happening, this paid off. i still got a lot of work to do. i got a chance to take care of >> we're happy because he's from prince george's county. >> you're happy because he's on the way to philadelphia to play for the 76ers. >> other nba players wasted no time welcoming him. kevin durant sent a shout out to fultz on twitter last night. ful

dr. kevin maxwell has strongly denied this, calling the claims politically motivated. governor hogan points out that the four board members rnlt the only electedded leaders coming forward, that state senator he's heard testimony from teachers about alleged fraud. fox5 has spoken to numerous staff members, teachers, guidance counselors and record keepers who say they have seen for themselves, students are being pushed through who haven't earned their diploma. everyone has told us speaking publicly would put their job on the line hogan says he wants to get to the truth and also ensure that any and all whistle l blowers receive full protection under the law. dr. maxwell has refus ed repeated requests for an interview. he did give us this statement today. from the beginning i have maintained that politics lie at the root of these accusations. there has been no systemic effort to promote students who did not meet state graduation requirements. in order to inflate our graduation rates. we look forward to krob corroborating with the maryland state department of education to r

dr. kevin maxwell. we've been requesting an interview with him since last week. govern ofer larry hoag oon is out of the country now but we are asking to talk to him when he's back. here's state senator anthony meus with more on what he wants to see happen. we have to begin to say we're going to bring people in even if we have to go as far as the justice department because education is a civil right and if we have to go to the justice department to say we're going to educate our children we're not simply going to push them through. if you're in the making it we're going to hold you back. >> also today a group of high school principals came out with their own letters saying ak accusations of fraud are insult ing to professionals who have dedicated themselves to educating students and their success. there is a public school board meeting in prince george's county on thursday. lindsay watts, fox5 loca >> developing tonight there is new reaction from the familiar live a muslim teenager murdered in fairfax county. seventeen year old nabra hassan in's family held a pre

dr. kevin maxwell spoke publicly about the allegations of grade changing during a school board he deniedallegations about or graduation rates strike at everything that prince george's county schools stand for, past, present and future. these allegations denigrate why teachers teach and why principals lead. they're a personal attack on every teacher, counselor, administrator and employee in this system. >> this issue divided leaders and school staff with some begging for the state to investigate and others denying that there's possibility of fraud. every day this week, fox 5 has been asking the maryland state department of education whether it will investigate or not. so far no one responded. >>> we're hearing from north korea for the first time american airlines otto warmbier's death. being taken to do more than a year in a north korea the 22 passed away in his hometown of cincinnati monday. laid to rest yesterday. this morning, north korea is denying it crewly treated or tortured him and called itself the biggest victim in his death. the comments were made by the korean central news age

dr. kevin maxwell are about to meet here in executive session, so maxwell is going to be face to face withbers are accusing him of corruption. we'd love to know the conversations happening behind these walls but we do have to wait until the public portion of the meeting and that's going to be starting at 7 o'clock tonight. for the first time maxwell is going to be speaking publically about the allegations of widespread corruption and fraud, that grades are being changed and records manipulated to push students through and increase the high school graduation rate. maxwell has continued to refuse our repeated requests for an interview but a school spokeswoman tells me he is going to be making extensive remarks tonight. as we've been reporting, four board members took this straight to the governor's office asking for state investigation. they say they have testified evidencehundreds of kids graduao did not earn their diploma. maxwell has denied this. he said those board members are playing politics and the majority of the school board has stood with maxwell and said they don'tel all of this h

dr. kevin maxwell, vehemently denies the allegations coming from four members of his own school board. maxwell says the u.s. department of education cleared the school district of the same allegations earlier this year. his statement says in part, "while there may be valid concerns about our practices, processes and policies, that conversation should seek to uplift students instead of advancing personal or political agendas." >>> coming up, we'll tell you the immediate action the school board wants governor larry hogan to take. >>> if you collect stamps or love space, you'll love this. you can buy a stamp from the u.s. post office. look at that. it changes from an image of a solar eclipse to the moon. when you put your finger on the stamp, your body heat makes it change. like a mood ring. this is one way people are getting excited for the it will be the first one you can see across the u.s. in just about a hundred years. i can't help but think of solar eclipse. >> i'm having a pretty good hair day today. thank you very much. >> good. >> not half as humid sheep a, as it has been. >> the

dr. kevin maxwell joined the calls for an investigation into his school system. it'she has asked for that. his letter to the board was read before the vote. this letter is to serve as a request for a followup investigation by the maryland state department of education into allegations regarding the prince george's county public schools, high school graduation rates since my arrival. and that was just part of the letter . maxwell went onto say that he denies that he or anybody working for him is promoting students in order to inflate the graduation rate. four prince george's county brothered members contacted the governor saying they have evidence that in the last few years hundreds of students have graduated without meeting state requirements. they call it wide -spread systemic corruption. what they were asking for is an investigation like the one that was voted on today. we talked to the president of the state board of ed asking him when will this get underway? will it be early to commit to that. first the state has to find an outside organization to investigate

dr. kevin maxwell has repeatedly denied. dr.axwell has also repeatedly denied requests for interviews with fox5, but did give us a statement last night saying "from the beginning, i have maintained that politics lie at the root of these accusations. again there's been no systemic evident to promote students who did not meet state graduation requirements in order to inflate our graduation rates ". maxwell continued, we look forward collaborating with the maryland state department of education to resolve this ma matter. maxwell does have the support of the majority of board members. those nine wrote their own letter to the state last week blasting the grade inflation claims and last night based on fox5's latest reporting on the governor calling for an investigation. the chair of the school board does yubanks wetted this. "what a shocker. republican governor who has cut million from prince george's county public schools joins those doubting our students achieve manies. there was a prior investigation of this complaint. it was done

dr. kevin maxwell was appointed as ceo of the schools. priority to beef the county graduation rate lagging behind the state average it looked like a success story with record numbers ann announcd earlier this year. spokeswoman told us this. i can confirm the governor's office is in receipt of concerning, and they have been forwarded to the maryland state department of education. fox5 has spoken with numerous school employees about this issue who say the board members, their claims are correct. they say there's intense pressure to increase the graduation rate from the central office on to the principals and staff. take a listen. >> the staff knows exactly what's happening. so it's widespread. >> i had a student who failed the class, and they were like, well, you need to go and made sure she gets a d because she's been here every day. >> i think we're doing an injustice to the student, um, allowing them to graduate, um, when they know they didn't put in the effort, um, and so what are we teaching them? we're not teaching them consequences t

dr. kevin maxwell says the u.s. department of education cleared the district of the same allegations earlier this year. >>> this morning, the university of maryland dealing with a discrimination lawsuit. it comes as the university moves to take action against hate and bias incidents on campus. the suit was filed by two african-american employees and they claim that they've been treated differently than their white counterparts. the two claim that when they made complaints about unequal theresa m treatment, they were given more work and forced to work outside in the heat and cold. the university says equitable employment is a priority. >>> now the real work begins for markelle fultz. he went number one in the nba draft. last night was a big moment for the prince george's county native and our entire area too. >> with the first pick in the 2017 nba draft, the philadelphia 76ers select the university of washington. >> contain yourself, adam. >> we got a lot riding on him. >> the 19-year-old is from upper particle b mar

dr. kevin maxwell who has been rehired by the county for another fo

dr. kevin maxwell spoke publically about allegations of grade changing and fraud to boost those graduationarents in front of a jam packed school board meeting last night. prior to the meeting frustrated teachers and parents rallied outside. the group is in support of the four board members who contacted the state. the county executive is denying corruption claims and schools ceo dr. maxwell is also firing back denying any wrongdoing. >> the false allegations about our graduation rates strike at everything that prince george's county schools stand for past, present these allegations denigrate why teachers teach and why principals lead. they are a personal attack on every teacher, counselor, administrator and the employee in this system. >> this issue has clearly divided county leaders and school staff with some begging for the state to investigate and others denying there's any possibility of fraud. fox5 has been asking the maryland state department of education whether it will investigate or not. so far no one has responded. >>> good news for low income families in the district. today the

dr. kevin maxwell was here along with members of his staff and school board members.s we've been reporting, new policies were put in place one child abuse by school staff. policies meant to better protect kids. some teachers are being pulled out of their schools the vast majore more than 800 cases reported to child protective services have been screened out, meaning that they have not risen to the level of an investigation. it's been more minor inappropriate behavior, not child abuse or neglect. so, the plan for this summer is to make school employees fully aware of the expectations and disciplinary consequences. principals will also receive training so they can do their own investigations and be more selective about involving cps. school board chair banks says he hopes to see allegations dealt with more appropriately and more quickly. >> and i'm confident that the -- if -- if these new strategies are applied, that we'r reporting because, again, we talked about the fact that we want folks to report, but more of that being dealt with at the school level and at the admi

dr. kevin maxwell denies.lthough principles have told us that there has been pressure from the central administration in upper marlboro to graduate students. prince george's county school board members and local lawmakers and now governor hogan himself telling us that he is asking for an investigation to be launched. >> one will be, because, you know arc lost people are demanding answers, and we think that we need to get to the bottom of it. if the issue -- if the concerns are true, then it's a serious problem, but either way we've got to get to the facts we want to get it done possible but do as thorough a job as we possibly can. >> reporter: now a previous investigation by state auditors governor hogan says was actually flawed and weak because they basically just spec to dr. maxwell and four people that he suggested that investigator interviewer and so now governor hogan is asking this, the maryland state board of education to investigate these allegations that fox5 was first to report and staying on top of

dr. kevin maxwell speaking to fox5 in depth for the first time since we broke the news of claims of gradeoost graduation rates. >> the exclusive the view comes as the maryland state board of education has approved hiring of outside investigators to look into those claims. i spoke with dr. maxwell earlier this morning and i started the interview by asking him point blank if he believed there was any concerted effort for grade fixing in the county. here's what he had to say about that and more >> these accusations that there's systemic corruption at the highest levels of this school system are completely and utterly false. >> the reason that you've gone on board with the investigation is what? >> to make sure we put this to rest once and for all. these allegations were first alleged about a year ago earlier in the school year, and we're investigated by the maryland state department of education, and both msd and the united states department of education cleared us of neocon concerns whatsoever and closed the matter. that these four board members have reopened it is sad. >> so why do you thi

dr. kevin maxwell and says she asked him to identify others with whom she could talk to. maxwell and four others he brought in. none of them recalled any complaints that grades had been changed. the investigator says she found no wrongdoing and the case was closed. >> i think that prior investigation actually makes it worse because the superintendent did not notify the board that we were under investigation for something so serious. >> reporter: david murray is one of four board members calling for the state to come back and investigate new claims of fraud and manipulation of student records. >> i've heard it from people at all levels, um, from administrators to assistant principals from teachers, themselves. >> reporter: dr. maxwell and the school board chair immediately fired back. denying the allegations. >> we trust and believe in our students and our staff, and believe that when all is said and done, we'll find out that so because they worked hard and because they were supported well by their administrators. >> reporter: the majority of the school board wrote this le

dr. kevin maxwell's crack not to be renewed. >> the request comes pending out come of a third party investigiooard of education. melanie alnwick spoke with the chapter's president more more on their decision. >> reporter: good morning. the county naacp saying that they believe time is of the essence here, because they're concerned that dr. maxwell could get big payout if his contract is nullified. so they want to kind of put a pause here i want to give you background first. dr. maxwell, his appointment has been controversial since the very beginning when in 2013 county executive rushern baker went to the state legislature to get the, the authority to appoint school ceo rather than having the school board do it. when maxwell was appointed, the school board was on board with that. and also, mack well was reappointed in march to a second term. the first time in prince george's county that a superintendent has reached a second term in more than 25 years. but after these allegations of grade fixing and records manila says they want to put a pause on maxwell's second term. good we have lost confiden

dr. kevin maxwell to help these students in future years and so i'm extremely worried about what's goingand just to be clear, the 10 million-dollar figure we out tout there paying teachers and staff to not be at school, these are a lot of the -- tears the teachers and staff who had been taken off the job,ad cases had been cleared so essentially saying they didn't do anything wrong, so theoretically they should be getting paid because they didn't do anything wrong. >> that's right. >> why aren't they in the classroom? what's taking them so long to get back in the classroom after they've been cleared. >> honestly it's incompetence at the highest level. some of these things are not that complicated. if someone is cleared from cps an student has admitted to lying on a teacher or professional, they're still not out, the case last night you guise cover the bus driver said they lost my case. i mean, we have hundreds of employees whose cases have gone missing or one department agency in the school system isn't talking to another department or agency in the school system and all the while student