Newton South Student Newspaper Exposes Superintendent's Plagiarism

By Jason Claffey

The Lion’s Roar, Newton South High School’s student newspaper, uncovered plagiarism by the school system’s superintendent—leading to a fine and an apology from the administrator.

Read The Lion’s Roar’s investigative story above

David Fleishman admitted to stealing passages for his June 9 graduation speech from one delivered by Gov. Deval Patrick to Boston University graduates on May 25. Fleishman apologized and on Thursday was fined a week’s pay—about $5,000, according to the Boston Globe.

The action was taken after students Jordan Cohen-Kaplan and Kylie Walters wrote a story in a special edition of the newspaper published Wednesday. Cohen-Kaplan, the paper’s business and production manager, said he watched Patrick’s speech and noticed similarities to Fleishman’s address.

In May, Patrick said, “Real human connection, the nuance of empathy and understanding, is often more gradual and elongated than Twitter.”

In June, Fleishman said, “Personal connection, the nuance of empathy and understanding, is often more incremental and complex than Twitter.”

The Lion’s Roar story reported several more similar passages.

“Superintendent Fleishman’s speech was marred with unoriginality,” wrote Cohen-Kaplan and Walters, who serves as the paper’s editor-in-chief. “It is disappointing and disillusioning to imagine we cannot expect the best from the highest ranking Newton Public Schools official.”

The Globe said Fleishman released a statement that read, “It is essential that public officials not only accept critical feedback but acknowledge when we have made mistakes.”

It was the second time this graduation season that a Massachusetts superintendent was accused of plagiarizing a speech. Earlier this month, Mansfield schools Superintendent Brenda Hodges announced her resignation after she was accused of plagiarizing her June graduation speech.