Watertown teen accused of cheating to get behind the wheel

WATERTOWN, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A "thumbs up" during a driver's test leads to a "thumbs down" from the registry.
    
FOX25's Jim Morelli spoke exclusively to a family who says they are dumbfounded that their daughter is now accused trying to cheat to get behind the wheel.

Two days after turning sixteen, Courtney Carroll went in as a candidate for a learner's permit and came out labeled a cheater. 
 
"It's just ridiculous they're calling me a cheater when I know that I was doing really well," Courtney said. "Like, I don't understand how that is cheating."
 
The Registry of Motor Vehicles has a written cheating policy. It outlines six activities that authorities view as evidence of cheating. Giving a thumbs up, however, is not on the list. 
 
Here's what is on the list when taking the learner's permit exam: Using electronics, talking about questions, having written answers, using a manual or book, bringing in an unauthorized person or having someone else take the exam. 
 
Even though it appears Courtney did none of those things, she was led out of the exam room by an officer. In front of a line of people outside the registry, Courtney says she was called out as a cheater.
 
The RMV says Courtney's mom failed to disclose that her daughter panics when confronted with tests, and that they would have made accommodations for that. 
 
In a statement, the RMV says "this event highlights the need for clearer communication from the RMV to its customers on the accommodation process and such an effort is already underway."
 
The penalty for cheating is waiting another 60 days to take the test. 

Cox Media Group