State says Ohio school district filed false data

CINCINNATI (AP) — The state says a southwest Ohio school district filed false attendance data in an effort to improve its state report card.

The Ohio Department of Education said today that the Lockland School District in suburban Cincinnati filed false data for 36 students during the 2010-2011 school year.

The department says Lockland’s report card status has been lowered. The case also has been referred to the department’s Office of Professional Conduct to determine if district employees are guilty of conduct unbecoming to the teaching profession.

The state says 36 students were falsely reported as having left the district and then added back to the roster later. The break in enrollment led to their test scores not being counted in the district’s overall performance rating.

The district did not immediately return calls.