Eleven out of the 12 defendants on trial in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal were found guilty after a five-month long trial. Defendants include former APS teachers, principals and administrators.
The jurors came to their decision on April 1 after more than eight days of deliberations. Accused of fabricating student answers on standardized tests between 2005 and 2009, defendants were charged with conspiring to cheat, racketeering and other crimes warranting up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for 10 a.m. today.
Ten of those found guilty were taken into custody after the verdict was released, while one defendant, Dunbar Elementary teacher Shani Robinson, remains out on bond until her sentencing in August so that she can care for the newborn son she gave birth to on Saturday, April 11.
Dessa Curb, former Dobbs Middle School teacher, was the sole defendant acquitted of charges.
In an interview on April 3 with WABE, Curb expressed warm sentiments for her former principal and superintendent.
“Tests were just one element [of a child’s education],” Curb told WABE reporters. “You had several other factors to consider with a child’s education. And I know that teachers were working hard everyday in the school system. … I think too much emphasis was put on the tests.”
State investigations into APS standardized testing results began in June 2009 after a Atlanta-Journal Constitution story published in December 2008 casting doubt upon elementary school scores on the Criterion-Reference Competency Test. Reporters exposed statistical anomalies in APS testing trends in a article released in 2009.
A 2011 report from investigation led by state investigators implicated 178 teachers and administrators at 44 APS schools. In 2013, the Fulton County grand jury indicted 35 APS educators, 21 of whom took a plea deal.Those who took plea deals avoided prison, opting instead for fines, community service and an agreement to cooperate during trials. Of the 13 remaining indicted, 12 went to court in August 2014. Former APS superintendent Berverly Hall faced serious health issues which kept her out of court. She passed away on March 2, 2014 from breast cancer.
According to 11 Alive News, a deal for those convicted is on the table, which would have teachers serve home confinement and avoid prison time.
Stay tuned to The Southerner for updates on sentencing and a full story on the case, trial and verdict.
