A total of 35 Atlanta Public Schools educators have been indicted in a cheating scandal that has been under investigation since 2009. All but three of them have surrendered and turned themselves in to Fulton County jail for booking.
Former schools superintendent Beverly Hall (pictured above) was indicted on charges of racketeering, false statements and writings, theft by taking and false swearing in a cheating scandal that has rocked the public school system of Atlanta.
A grand jury had originally recommended a $7.5 million bond for Hall, but that amount was reduced to?$200,000 after negotiations with prosecutors. She is one of the few who have managed to bond out of Fulton County jail.
Mugshots of the indicted Atlanta Public Schools (APS) educators + accusations below…
Gloria Ivey: A former Dunbar Elementary teacher, is charged with racketeering for changing students? wrong answers to right on the 2009 CRCT. She is also charged with making false statements for telling a GBI agent she did not participate in, assist or have knowledge of anyone giving answers on the CRCT.
Carol Dennis: The secretary at Kennedy Middle School is charged with racketeering and false statements and writings.
Derrick Broadwater: Former teacher at Dobbs Elementary, charged with racketeering, three counts of making false statements and writings and false swearing.
Pamela Cleveland: A former Dunbar Elementary school teacher, is charged with racketeering for changing students? wrong answers to right on the 2009 CRCT. She is also charged with making a false statement for telling a GBI agent she had no knowledge of anyone erasing or changing answers on the CRCT.
Sharon Davis Williams: A third area superintendent, Davis Williams is accused of instructing educators to cover up cheating and punishing a whistle-blower.
Kimberly Oden: Former teacher at Parks Middle School, charged with racketeering and making false statements and writings.
She was also accused of retaliating against an employee who answered questions about the memos. In a television interview along with other area superintendents accused of wrongdoing, Cotman denied any knowledge of widespread cheating. “I am going to fight not just for the job, but I had a reputation and career and a focus on serving children,” Cotman said.
They returned later with the cooler and hauled the tests away. Waller denied wrongdoing, saying that if tampering occurred, it must have been after test papers left the school. He also said he wouldn?t cheat because he is a minister and because he wouldn?t have risked his $107,000-a-year salary. Hall had held Waller up as a model principal who got results by pushing educators to unlock the potential of underachieving poor students. Reassigned in 2010 while the state conducted its probe, Waller resigned from the district in 2012, citing personal reasons.
Frances Mack: A testing coordinator at D.H. Stanton Elementary, is charged with racketeering and false statements and writings.
Shani Robinson, a former teacher at Dunbar Elementary School, charged with racketeering and making false statements and writings.
When the district finally produced the complaints, the investigators wrote, it illegally withheld cases that made it ?look bad? ? either because its investigation was poor or because wrongdoing received minimal sanction. Like others, Few also made false statements to the investigators, the report said.
Few has denied that she tampered with documents or ordered anyone else to do so. Few tried to leave Atlanta and start over. She moved to Connecticut and became a consultant in Bridgeport Public Schools. But in February 2012, after only two days on the job, Few was fired after Bridgeport officials learned the full extent of the allegations against her. She moved to Connecticut and became a consultant in Bridgeport Public Schools. But in February, after only two days on the job, Few was fired after Bridgeport officials learned the full extent of the allegations against her.
Diane Webb-Buckner, a former Dunbar Elementary teacher, is charged with racketeering for changing students? wrong answers to right on the 2009 CRCT. She is also charged with making a false statement to a GBI agent.
Dana Evans, former principal at Dobbs Elementary School, was charged with racketeering and four counts of making false statements and writings.
Michael Pitts, area superintendent, was booked into the Fulton County Jail on $25,000 bond, charged with racketeering and influencing witnesses.
Armstead Salters, principal of Gideons Elementary, was booked into the Fulton County Jail on $2 million bond, according to jail records. Salters is charged with racketeering, false statements and writings, influencing witness.
Dessa Curb, teacher at Dobbs Elementary, was booked into the Fulton County Jail on $60,000 bond, according to jail records. Curb is charged with racketeering, false statements and writings.
Tameka Goodson, a school improvement specialist at Kennedy Middle School, turned herself in around 12:30 a.m. and was booked into the Fulton County Jail on $200,000 bond, according to jail records. Goodson is charged with racketeering and false statements and writings
He?s charged with racketeering, false swearing and three counts of false statements or writings Bullock had no comment for reporters as he walked briskly from his car to the jail lobby.
Benteen Elementary testing coordinator Theresia Copeland. Copeland is charged with racketeering, theft by taking and two counts of false statements or writings.
Gregory Reid,Former Assistant Principal of Parks Middle School, is charged with racketeering, false statements and writings, theft by taking and false swearing.
Sandra Ward, a Testing coordinator at Parks Middle School, is charged with racketeering, falsifying students’ answer sheets and theft by taking.
Ingrid Abella-Sly: The former Humphries Elementary teacher is charged with racketeering for “falsifying” student answer sheets on the 2009 CRCT and making false statements to a GBI agent. Abella-Sly is also charged with theft by taking for accepting bonus money based on phony test scores.
Sheridan Rogers: The former testing coordinator at Gideons Elementary is charged with racketeering and three counts of making false statements and writings.
Starlette Mitchell: The former teacher at Parks Middle School is charged with racketeering and three counts of making false statements.
Angela Williamson: The former teacher at Dobbs Elementary is charged with racketeering; two counts of making false statements and writings; and two counts of false swearing.
Lisa Terry: The former Humphries Elementary teacher is charged with racketeering for “falsifying” student answer sheets on the 2009 CRCT and making false statements to a GBI agent. Terry is also charged with theft by taking for accepting bonus money based on phony test scores.
Sheila Evans: A Benteen Elementary teacher, is charged with racketeering, false statements and writings (2 counts); and theft by taking.
Wendy Ahmed: A teacher at Humphries Elementary, is charged with racketeering; false statements and writings (2 counts); and theft by taking.
Tabeeka Jordan: The assistant principal of Deerwood Elementary is charged with racketeering, false statements, and theft by taking. She turned herself in Tuesday.
Shayla Smith, Dobbs Elementary, charged with racketeering, two counts of racketeering and false swearing.
According to the AJC, what comes next for these educators is the great unknown.
The certainties are this:
All 35 former Atlanta Public Schools administrators and educators were required to surrender Tuesday at Fulton County Jail, where their mug shots and fingerprints were taken and entered into the national criminal database.
There was no way to get around going to the lockup on Rice Street.
Many lawyers negotiated lower bonds to get their clients released.
If defendants did not made arrangements for bond, they were to be given a physical exam and assigned to a cell block.
I feel some kinda way about this situation.? Many of these educators were used as pawns in what we all know is a bigger game of chess. Wrong is wrong but I believe a lot of these teachers were merely following orders given to them by higher ups.
It’s a sad situation any way you look at it because the problem certainly wasn’t solved by their arrests.? It’s not like these people are high paid executives who received benefits and bonuses for their actions.? But I’m not privy to all the facts, so I’ll just leave my opinion at that.
Lawd… Oprah must be somewhere cursing the high heavens right about now.
