17 Cheaters Punished at Girl’s School

A cheating ring at the exclusive Westlake School for Girls in Holmby Hills has resulted in the suspension or expulsion of 17 students, school officials said. The students, all 11th- and 12th-graders, were said to be involved in a scheme to steal advance copies of final exams before the tests were given in mid-December. Headmaster Nat Reynolds said only a few of the girls actually stole the exams, but they distributed copies among their friends. The scheme was discovered after one of the girls reported the theft and gave administrators a list of the others involved, sources said. Those who admitted cheating were temporarily suspended from school, while six who did not were expelled.