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PROVO -- Some students at Provo High School have found themselves snared in a scandal they say was not of their making.
A student office aide with the password to the school's computer system made modifications to attendance records, but not all of the students in question asked for the changes.
Coulton Woodger was the student body president at Provo High School. He says he got kicked out of office, not because he was part of the scandal, but because he didn't say anything when he heard about it.
"I feel like I'm being punished for not snitching on people in the halls," he said. "Why am I getting punished when I didn't do anything?"
Woodger's friend, Bryan Brimhall, got kicked off the baseball team. He says one of his unexcused absences got changed without him even knowing. He says he only caught it when he logged on to the school's computer system.
A few days later, when Brimhall realized the office aide was responsible for the change, he kept it to himself.
"I don't know this girl personally. She doesn't know me," Brimhall said. "A friend referred my name to her."
"When students were checking their attendance and noticed they'd been fixed, at that point it did become their responsibility to notify the administration of those changes," said Greg Hudnell, with the Provo School District.
Brimhall admits not telling was wrong, but he thinks not being able to play baseball is unfair. "It hurts a lot," he said.
Thursday, the Utah High School Activities Association will hear his appeal to the school's decision of not allowing him to play.
"I think restitution needs to take place, but I do think they have done some restitution. They've done community service. Bryan had to write an apology and appear before the team and apologize. That's a hard thing to do," his mother, Robyn Brimhall, said.
The Provo School District says 15 of the 19 students involved were athletes and some asked for the changes so they'd be eligible to play. Brimhall says he would have been eligible without the change.
E-mail: corton@ksl.com
