Students at the “Fame” high school couldn’t escape controversy after an Instagram page sharing homework and test answers led to a cheating scandal at Manhattan’s prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. The account, launched around March 29, gained nearly 800 members before educators intervened.
One student called it “the one and only LaGuardia quarantine HW account that we all needed,” while the page’s tagline touted, “Sharing is caring!” Though still visible online, the account is no longer active. Teachers swiftly reacted—Yorel Greene canceled her “Macbeth” quiz results after discovering cheating, stating she was “EXTREMELY disappointed” both by the students who shared answers and those who followed the account. Global Studies teacher Michelle Kingham Cronin warned students that cheating via social media is easily detectable and could cost them teacher recommendations.
The scheme drew mixed reactions: students cheered the shared calculus answers (“I LOVE YOU,” wrote one), while others criticized its lack of discretion, noting that a public Instagram account was easily traceable. Despite this, many admitted to using it.
Principal Yeou-Jey Vasconcelos declined to comment, but the Department of Education confirmed it does “not tolerate academic dishonesty” and is investigating, with disciplinary action pending. The school, famed for inspiring the 1980 movie “Fame,” has alumni including Robert De Niro, Nicki Minaj, and Jennifer Aniston. Vasconcelos, appointed in October 2019, succeeded Lisa Mars, who reportedly left amid claims she prioritized academics over arts.