Dover 'diploma mill' under state investigation

Clarification: A consultant's response to a question about the status of Bright Rock Christian Academy was not clear in the original version of this story. When asked about the school's accreditation status, Dr. Dyheim Watson of Recovery Educational Services said the school is seeking additional accreditation. 

Bright Rock Christian Academy appears online to be a pillar of Delaware's adult education community.

Its Facebook page boasts smiling graduates donning red caps and gowns and promises to help break down barriers for those who drop out of high school. For prospective students, it sounds easy: Just pay $500, and you'll have a "fully-accredited high school diploma in as little as five weeks," the website says.

But these diplomas are not backed by a recognized accrediting body and are not recognized by many universities or employers.

Students and educators worry the school is a diploma mill, selling dreams of employment and higher education to impoverished African-American communities in Wilmington and Dover.

"It's not even worth the paper it is written on," said Jonathan Wilson, who has taught prep courses for adults taking the GED high school equivalency test. "People who don't have a diploma are a vulnerable population."

These concerns prompted at least two female students to complain to the Division of Consumer Fraud and Protection in Attorney General Matt Denn's office. They complained that their diplomas were not recognized by the Department of Education, according to an affidavit written by a special investigator assigned to the complaints.

The Department of Education told the investigator that the diploma the students received "would not be accepted by employers, licensing boards and institutions of higher education," the affidavit said.

In August, the special investigator subpoenaed the school's records, including advertising material, IRS filings and bank statements.

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After receiving no response, the state asked a Superior Court judge to sign off on a "civil investigative demand" – again, ordering the school administration to turn over documents needed to determine if it violated consumer fraud and deceptive trade practice laws.

The school, previously named Bertha E. Roach Academy or B.E.R. Christian High School, has until late May to deliver the records.

The News Journal reached out to Bright Rock's founder, Ira D. Roach III, and principal, Charmagne R. Quarles, by phone, through social media and at the Dover school location. No one from the school responded, except Dyheim Watson, chief executive officer of an educational consultant company called Recovery Educational Services that he said was hired eight months ago to "restructure" Bright Rock.

Watson denied that the school misrepresented the type of high school diplomas it offered and defended its online marketing practices.

"Just because you market it in a certain way doesn't mean ...," he said, trailing off. "There are terms and conditions."

Watson said the school doesn't guarantee its graduates will find employment or be accepted to college after completing the program. Students sign a waiver saying they understand this fact.

But some wonder if the school's marketing is deceptive, an issue that is part of the Department of Justice's investigation.

One Facebook post from October asked, "Are you looking to be promoted on your job, obtain gainful employment, or enter the military?"

"There's a seat awaiting you!"

A second chance

Bright Rock Christian Academy sits at the end of a line of brick single-story apartments just blocks from Legislative Hall in Dover. The only sign that a school might be nearby is four-square and hopscotch courts outside a building that once was an office for the Dover Housing Authority.

On a warm spring day, the school was empty. A sign hanging on the front door promised: "The second chance for a brighter tomorrow through education," listing Recovery Educational Services' website and hours for classes.

Though classes were scheduled for that day, none were being held. The phone number listed on the door was out of service, and the Bertha Roach website no longer exists.

Quintarius Butler, 25, enrolled in the school in late 2015.

He saw it as a second chance – an opportunity to finally earn his high school diploma.

Since Butler was 7 years old, he moved between family in Delaware and Georgia. Each move made it more difficult for him to amass enough credits to graduate high school in either state.

After his aunt recommended Bright Rock, he went for orientation and took classes over five weeks. At the end, Butler said he took a written test, passed it and was told he was ready to graduate.

“The test was easy,” he said, saying it consisted of reading, math and basic Christianity concepts."

But Butler found that his second chance has actually been a curse. Even though he completed the test, he has yet to receive any documentation since he was unable to pay the remaining $50 he owed.

He also attempted to enroll in an online college but found out they would not accept the Bright Rock diploma. That's when he did research online and realized Bright Rock is unaccredited. 

“They didn’t say they were accredited, but they said they could get me into college,” said Butler, who works part time for Advantage Solutions passing out samples in Wal-Mart.

Butler is reluctant to say he has been scammed, noting that teachers and staff were kind and caring.

“They are good people,” the Dover resident said. “They are nice. They bring kids to their school with the intention of getting them into college. That is what they are trying to do.”

But Butler is disappointed the degree did not help him achieve his dreams – as was promised.

Multi-family home schools

Although little is known about the history of Bright Rock Christian Academy, it was listed by the Department of Education as a multi-family home school.

The state has no oversight of multi-family home school organizations, except a requirement that the home school provides year-end attendance information and September enrollment numbers.

Bright Rock has complied with those requirements. Attendance records show the school had 35 students in the 2014-2015 school year, 17 in the 2015-2016 school year and only one for the current school year. All the students were African-American except one.

Last year, the Department of Education received a flurry of emails from public school teachers and principals and others in the home-school community. They complained students were withdrawing from high schools or GED programs because they believed they had already obtained a diploma from Bright Rock, according to emails obtained through an open records request.

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One of the emails questioned whether the academy committed a criminal act. Another questioned how a student could complete high school in just five weeks.

"This is a diploma mill," said Lisa Plummer, who home-schools her children and teaches GED courses at the New Castle County Learning Center. "The fact that it is Christian (school) made me even madder."

The Education Department told Plummer and others that the school was registered as a multi-family home school, which is not accredited or overseen by the state. The Education Department would not answer additional questions from The News Journal about multi-family home schools or Bright Rock.

"It is important for that student attending Bertha to contact any college, university, training program or employer and ask if they will accept the diploma she is earning," the Education Department staff member wrote.

The Education Department

The Education Department notified Bright Rock in August that it could no longer claim to be a multi-family home school under the law because the school's students appear to be over the age of 18, according to court documents. Watson told The News Journal on Wednesday he considers the school to be a "private home school."

Plummer said schools like Bright Rock tarnish the home-school community.

"But this isn't home-schooling," she said. "It's just a loophole."

Soon after the school was notified, Jose Ortiz, a retired Wilmington police sergeant who is now a special investigator for the Department of Justice, started investigating complaints that Bright Rock was giving diplomas that were not recognized by the Education Department, the court documents said.

Bright Rock didn't comply with the state's subpoenas, prompting the Superior Court filing in which the state is seeking academic curricula, student and employee records, insurance coverage, state and federal tax filings, and a list of questions about its accreditation, according to court filings.

The Department of Justice would not elaborate on the ongoing investigation, except to say that anyone "who thinks that they have been the victim of a diploma scam or other education-related fraud where what they have received was misrepresented can file a complaint with our Consumer Protection Unit."

Watson said that as part of the school's reorganization, it is trying to get accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, which is a widely accepted accrediting body, and is moving toward online courses through the Compass Program, which is accredited through a number of different regional bodies.

Despite the lack of current accreditation, Watson said Bright Rock diplomas have been accepted by some universities, including Wilmington University. Others, however, do not accept the diploma.

In a letter students were given after graduation, they are told that if they plan to attend higher education, they must tell any colleges that the school is a "multi-family homeschool" as required by the Education Department and that the school is represented by the Home School Legal Defense Association, according to Education Department emails.

John Gray, dean of the Wilmington University College of Education, said he was unaware of any Bright Rock students attending Wilmington University but acknowledged that home-schooling can be a "fuzzy area" of the law in Delaware.

"In terms of recognizing the diploma here, we are an open enrollment college, but we do require students to submit transcripts," Gray said.

Prospective students would also have to submit other documentation to prove they have a sufficient high school background, such as SAT scores and course records, according to Gray.

Watson said he is confident the school did not violate any state laws or requirements.

"I encourage if a consumer felt they cannot resolve with the school, which I'm not sure if they have or not, then they should seek assistance (from the state)," he said. "From the information we have received, when we were asked to look at the situation, we don't see that there was any misrepresentation."

And, he added: "I'm sure the school will come out fine." 

Studying computer science

Plummer worries that each time a student enrolls in an unaccredited program, they are being cheated out of getting their GED.

"There is no greater joy than seeing someone accomplish something," she said. "Those people are being robbed of that."

She and others point to many other programs that help students improve their reading, math and writing skills in order to take the GED or earn a high school diploma. Some of those programs are free and are affiliated with local school districts.

For example, the New Castle County Learning Center is connected to the Christina School District. The staff offers free GED prep classes and is a certified testing center.

On Thursday evening, the center had a recognition ceremony for 35 students in the auditorium of Gauger-Cobbs Middle School in Ogletown.

Like any graduation, the students wore caps and gowns and were cheered on by family and friends. Because of pregnancy, bullying, caring for a sick family member or other obstacles, these students took different paths to this milestone moment.

Mahogany Holland, a 28-year-old Newark woman who got her GED and now attends Paul Mitchell School for hair design, advised those who might be involved in an unaccredited diploma program to seek assistance.

"It sounds good because they offer you a diploma," she said. "But it is better to actually come here and get the one-on-one, hands-on and just finish your GED in a couple of months."

Butler said that after finding out his Bright Rock diploma will not get him into college, he plans to enroll at the Delaware Center for Distance Adult Learning to earn his GED or diploma online.

Once he is done, Butler wants to study computer sciences or health at a local university.

"I'm just going to keep trying and keep getting back into school," Butler said.

Contact Jessica Masulli Reyes at (302) 324-2777, jmreyes@delawareonline.com or Twitter @jessicamasulli. Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.