Several former educators have been taken to the Fulton County Jail after a jury reached guilty verdicts in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial.

[FLASHBACK: Mugshots – 35 Educators Indicted in APS Cheating Scandal]

The jury convicted 11 of 12 defendants of racketeering in a test cheating scandal and each were taken away from the court in handcuffs Wednesday evening.

Mugshots + details below…

According to the Associated Press:

In one of the nation’s largest cheating scandals of its kind, the defendants were convicted Wednesday of racketeering for their roles in a scheme to inflate students’ scores on standardized exams.

They include teachers, a principal and other administrators, who were accused of falsifying test results to collect bonuses or keep their jobs in the 50,000-student Atlanta public school system.

A 12th defendant, a teacher, was acquitted of all charges by the jury.

The racketeering charges carry up to 20 years in prison. Most of the defendants will be sentenced April 8.

It seems that the punishment doesn’t quite fit the crime in this situation.? Yes… cheating is a serious issue and maintaining the integrity our educational system is important… BUT they’ve already lost jobs and their livelihood.

Jail seems a bit extreme for people who were merely doing what they were INSTRUCTED to do by upper management… but oh well, what’s done is done.

What are your thoughts on the APS verdicts?