Hillhouse grade tampering press conference

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Hillhouse High School Principal Kermit Carolina and his attorney Michael Jefferson speak out about the grade tampering scandal in New Haven.

"From the very beginning we have been calling for transparency, we wanted this whole thing open to the public for a reason," Jefferson said at a press conference Wednesday. "Now we see why. We tried to make everything visible, we invited the press into the interview conducted by Floyd Dugas with Kermit Carolina. We said we want the press there, we want every syllable recorded."

"This is political vindictiveness on the part of the Mayor," said Carolina, "I refused to make a financial contribution to his campaign, as he makes so many administrators do, and I refused to take a picture with him in front of Hillhouse as part of his re-election campaign. So because of that he saw an opportunity, I was reprimanding Miss Joyner, who was an administrator at James Hillhouse High School. I was simply challenging her to be a better administrator for the sake of kids."