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Winston Churchill High School Principal Joan Benz's words last week at the end of a meeting to discuss a computer grade-changing scheme ring somewhat hollow, given the absence of concrete plans to address the underlying reasons for the illicit activity.

The scheme, in which eight students obtained teachers' passwords and altered their own grades and the grades of 46 of their peers, came to light in January after teachers happened to notice some discrepancies.

"I hope ... this is the beginning of some healing within our community," Benz said, though neither the Churchill nor the county school system has any plans to investigate the possibility of grades being changed in semesters from previous academic years.

Her quote, along with these additional comments: "I don't think it will be a blemish ... We have a stellar reputation and we are validating that reputation right now," indicate the school wants to move on. The problem is that's not possible until the circumstances that led to the scheme are more fully understood. The matter is serious, so much so that the county prosecutor's office has launched a criminal investigation.

Many parents describe a culture of intense pressure and entitlement among students at one of the county's premier schools, from which 98 percent of students graduate and 99 percent of graduates go to college. Whether those factors contributed to such a far-reaching scheme (the fiasco involves about 2.6 percent of the student body), is unclear, but avoiding controversial topics seems to be in keeping with Benz's philosophy. Last fall, she tried to cancel the school production of ‘Chicago,' in part, according to parents, because of unpleasant dialogue such as: "I have to pee," and "murder." The play went on, with toned-down language.

While such matters may be offensive to Benz's sensibilities, she deserves credit for students who consistently produce exceptional academic scores in difficult courses (more than 86 percent take Advanced Placement classes).

The responsibility for these actions ultimately falls to the students and their parents, though failure to investigate the culture that may have contributed suggests an ostrich mentality that could linger over Churchill and affect its reputation.

Montgomery County Public Schools Chief Technology Officer Sherwin Collette did little to assuage parents' concerns when he told them last week that, "We will not chase the wind," in discussing the potential for additional investigations. Rumors are circulating that the grade-changing scheme has been around for years and while they may turn out to be false, dismissing them outright is short-sighted.

Since the scheme was discovered, the school system has mandated that teachers change their passwords every four months. That's a start, but school officials are being far too reactive and defensive in their response.

If Churchill wants to remove this tarnish from its sterling reputation, a full investigation would go a long way in assuring colleges and universities that the school is graduating students who are as academically prepared as their transcripts indicate. At the least, it would demonstrate a good-faith effort on the part of school administrators not only to higher education institutions, but to parents who fear this will affect their children's college admission chances.