SOUTHGATE (WWJ) – Students at a Downriver high school will have to retake a final exam and could be facing disciplinary action after they were caught cheating.

Southgate Superintendent Leslie Hainrihar said two juniors at Anderson High School snuck into a classroom and took cell phone pictures of the exam’s answer key while the teacher was in the hallway.

“From there, the information was shared in a group text to a number of students who may or may not have been taking that exam,” Hainrihar told WWJ’s Zahra Huber.

While grading the exams, Hainrihar said the teacher noticed some unexpected grades — everyone had perfect scores — and alerted the administration.

“At least two students admitted that they had taken a picture of the answer key. One maintains that they only used it for themselves, the other said that they took the picture and shared it with other students,” she said.

Now, the entire class must go back to school to retake the exam while other students are enjoying their summer break. School officials are also looking into disciplinary action.

“Consequences are forthcoming,” Hainrihar said. “Because our disciplinary matrix is progressive in nature, one of the things that we always do is to determine whether or not a student may or may not have been involved in similar activity prior to this, and that may change their particular consequences.”

Hainrihar said this isn’t the first time the administration has dealt with cheating, but it is the first of this magnitude.

“These kids were in the eleventh grade — clearly they knew that what they were doing was wrong,” she said. “I’m a little disappointed that they would choose to not only take a picture of an answer key but then share it globally. It’s disappointing that at this age we have to have that conversation with them.”