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Police Investigating High School Students Hacking System, Charging Others For Better Grades

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PEMBROKE PINES (CBSMiami) – Good grades in exchange for cash?

A major investigation is underway at a South Florida high school into just that.

Three students are suspected of breaking into Flanagan High School's computer system to boost their classmates' grades, but only those who paid.

"They are like 18," said student Valaria Delgado. "They could go to jail. That's like hacking."

The students allegedly did jus that, hacking into the school district's computers. The scheme seems simple enough.

"Pay some kid to go into the database to change grades," said student Mick Laughenberg.

Parents are aghast that students may have been changing grades and charging their peers money for the service.

"It is sad and it is criminal," said parent Elsie Genao. "I hope the parents do something about it."

As for the Broward School District, they released the following statement:

"School administrators are aware of an incident involving three Flanagan High School students, who are accused of obtaining access to a teacher's passcode and using it to change the grades of students. ..The school and the District's Special Investigative Unit are also cooperating with the Pembroke Pines Police Department in its investigation."

One student told CBS4's Hank Tester that he knows it has been going on since December.

Pembroke Pines Police say initial investigative reports have just come in from a school resource officer.

No one is in custody at this point, though some of the students may have already faced some kind of action.

"A few people I know are in alternative school [because of this]," a student told Tester.

Computer Hacking can be prosecuted in state court because it is also prohibited in Florida by state law and the statute that prohibits hacking is found in section 815.04(1) of the Florida Statutes.

This felony offense makes it a crime for someone to alter information that already exists in a computer system.

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