Wilson, Bowers good choices to probe school testing scandal
Gov. Sonny Perdue chose wisely and well.
Bob Wilson and Michael Bowers, appointed last week by Perdue to lead an investigation into cheating scandals in public schools in Atlanta and Dougherty County, are experienced prosecutors. Perhaps more importantly in this context, they have also proved to be persons of good judgment, capable of sifting truth from fiction and the important from the inconsequential in what promises to be a complicated probe.
So far, previous investigations have been able to document only that cheating occurred. Armed with subpoena authority and the resources to investigate fully, Bowers and Wilson may be able to dig deeper, getting at the important questions of how the cheating happened and why.
But it’s unfortunate it had to come to this. The appointment of Wilson and Bowers is necessary because for at least the second time in this scandal, local leaders have proved more interested in protecting their institutions and their reputations than in getting at the truth. Their defensiveness and reluctance to look too closely have ended up compounding the very damage that they seek to avoid.
Here in Atlanta, Superintendent Beverly Hall and others vigorously dispute such assertion, arguing that they have responded as quickly and as aggressively as the facts allow.
In several important regards, that is undeniably true.
In Atlanta, testing security has been strengthened considerably in the wake of the scandal, and principals of the dozen schools implicated most strongly in the cheating scandal have been reassigned to other duties. Their names and those of almost 100 other school employees have also been submitted to the state for possible disciplinary action.
As Hall told the AJC last week, she has no patience with those who cheat. Any educators who altered test results “have done a terrible disservice to the children and Atlanta Public Schools, and that is a disgrace,” she said.
Certainly, the individuals who cheated or tolerated cheating by others deserve to be identified and punished. It is also true that, based on the limited evidence then available, APS officials could not have moved more aggressively against suspected staff members without compromising their right to due process and fair treatment.
However, individual responsibility represents just one aspect of the problem. As her statement above suggests, Hall has been steadfast in trying to depict the scandal as a simple series of moral failings by the individuals involved. People of integrity, she has said repeatedly, would not have cheated under any circumstances.
Hall has also pointed out repeatedly — and accurately — that there is no evidence of a broad, organized conspiracy. But that does not exhaust the range of issues that this scandal has brought to the surface.
Among the questions that Bowers and Wilson will try to answer is whether the problem was indeed limited to a dozen schools, as APS officials claim, or whether it was more widespread, as state officials suggest. Even if the lesser number proves accurate, we are left with the reality that widespread cheating occurred in a dozen schools involving more than 100 APS employees, a far more extensive problem than in any other system in the state.
Why?
That’s the question that Hall refuses to even entertain.
Personally, I can think of only two explanations: Either APS hired employees who are more prone than others to cheat, or it placed its employees in an environment in which cheating was deemed acceptable or even necessary. Either way, responsibility for creating such problems would lie at the top of the chain of command.
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251 comments Add your comment
Paulo977
August 24th, 2010
11:24 am
What has standardized testing to do with what we want REAL education to do?
http://edwardboches.com/creativity-is-on-the-decline-just-when-we-need-it-most
@HBD
August 24th, 2010
11:25 am
HBD you really want to keep talented teachers in the public schools? Give them the authority to remove chronically disruptive students who hijack the educational process. What other manager, per se, is force to “manage” workers who:
A) Don’t show up for work
B) Don’t work when they show up
C) Verbally abuse coworkers
D) Verbally abuse management
E) Even physically threaten fellow employees/staff when management tries to intervene
And are ALLOWED to do A-E on an ongoing regular basis without being removed from the work environment? But we ask teachers to do this, then blame them when the schools don’t improve?
Southern Comfort
August 24th, 2010
11:26 am
Matti
I remember that speech. Like you, I got to witness some of the best ball throwers, catchers, and runners. Growing up, I played baseball and still have a great love for the sport. When I got to high school, I had to make a decision. There was school, baseball, and music. I knew I couldn’t do all three and succeed at them all. I made the conscious decision to drop baseball and focus on music and school. I ended up graduating in the top ten of my class (missed valedictorian by less than 2 points on a 100 pt scale) and attended college on a full academic scholarship and music scholarship. I don’t know if I would have gotten a sports scholarship had I kept playing, but I decided to cast my net where the odds of catching something in it were greater.
I don’t knock athletes, but at the same time, I don’t like the system that exploits them. If there was as much emphasis on helping scholars become potential 1st round draft picks in the job market, I think the education system would be much better.
Easy answer Bruno
August 24th, 2010
11:28 am
“Do you think lack of discipline on the part of the kids is the culprit, or more a lack of teaching skills?”
Walk into any struggling school and you will see a teacher or two that has NO control. But at that same school you can walk into EVERY classroom and see a student or two that has no control, and KNOWS the teachers are not being supported.
It’s a SYSTEMIC problem. That’s why teachers who have had great success in other systems often leave places like APS within a year or two and go back to having great success in places where they are supported.
Easy answer Bruno
August 24th, 2010
11:31 am
Put it this way Bruno. Is it any surprise that the school system with the biggest SYSTEMIC falsification of discipline data in the state’s history had to engage in the biggest cheating scandal in the state’s history to maintain their “gains”?
Think about that.
Bruno
August 24th, 2010
11:33 am
“So, that means I need not talk about how Chuck Norris I am at work?”
SC–If you’re as big as you say you are, no Norris posturing is required.
Do we need to start calling you Mr. Southern Comfort??
jm
August 24th, 2010
11:36 am
stop the spin – if you look at test scores between 2000 compared to 2010 (when they put in new procedures to stop cheating), scores have improved significantly. Yes they dropped between 2009 and 2010 (because of the elimination of the cheating), but what is important is the long run improvement.
@@
August 24th, 2010
11:36 am
Bosch:
WRONG! but then there’s no point in ME, trying to convince you. I’ll let the SACS report speak in support of my contention:
The Special Review Team finds that the Clayton County Board of Education is in violation of the SACS CASI Governance and Leadership standard for accreditation. In fact, the team found evidence to support a conclusion that the effectiveness of the Clayton County Board of Education is fatally flawed. The school system’s noncompliance with the SACS CASI standard for Governance and Leadership places the accreditation of the Clayton County Schools in jeopardy.
Recommendations:
1) Establish a governing board that is capable of fulfilling its roles and responsibilities.
2) Remove the influence of outside groups/individuals that are disruptive to the work of the school district.
3) Enact and commit to an Ethics Policy that governs the actions and work of the members of the Board of Education and staff including appropriate steps when said policy is violated.
4) Implement a comprehensive review of board policies that includes training for board members on the purpose and expectations of said policies.
5) Conduct a full, forensic audit of financials by an independent, certified accounting firm and take appropriate steps to address the findings of such an audit.
6) Conduct a comprehensive audit of student attendance records and take appropriate steps to ensure that attendance records are accurate and meet legal requirements.
7) Ensure that each member of the Board is a legal resident of the county and is eligible to hold the elected seat on the Board.
9) Appoint a permanent superintendent with the experience and expertise to lead the school district and establish proper conditions for effectiveness.
The report goes on to talk about how the system has failed to establish a vision for the system in collaboration with its stakeholders, and that the system has failed to communicate the system’s vision and purpose to build stakeholder understanding and support.
Then? The system has failed to identify system-wide goals and measures to advance the system’s vision. The individual Board members routinely act in a manner that is designed to advance their own personal agendas and not that of the school district. The Board abandoned a system wide curriculum program, two-thirds of the way through its contract with the curriculum provider because the program was not endorsed by the teacher’s union in which one of its members is the Executive Director. This left the school district without a clear curriculum for the school year and further deprived the schools and its teachers with an academic vision and purpose.
Read the last paragraph again, Bosch. The problem stemmed from conflict brought by board members who belonged to a teacher’s union.
Did SACS make it clear enough for you????
SOUTHERN ATL
August 24th, 2010
11:36 am
Paulo977@11:24…excellent article and I could not agree more….I have memorized info that was pertinent to a particular subject and had no problems mastering the test….If a teacher is going to teach Science, let them teach it outside of the test (CREATIVELY). They should be able to grasp the students attention to learn the subject even if the student says that they dislike that subject…I am not an educator but I have taught several training classes that were work related.
Matti
August 24th, 2010
11:37 am
Bruno,
I didn’t see many kids expressing an interest in education or living up to the potential that I saw in them. — And that’s a damn shame. They’re not born with that, you know. (They’re born hungry and sleepy…) It has to come from somewhere. That’s why I don’t understand people who think paying for public education is a waste. Uneducated, disinterested, lazy (sick, deprived, victims of tragic misfortune, whatever) people WILL reproduce! That’s a certainty! A percentage of the population is simply not going to be motivated from the home. As a society, we have two choices: Shrug our shoulders and let the chips fall where they may, or put forth an effort to fill that gap. It’s in our best interest (even if economics is the only thing one cares about) to TRY to fill that gap. Many successful people will tell you that it was “one special” teacher, coach, or non-parent who took an interest that made all the difference in their lives.
As for why the teachers are angry, I think there are many factors, not the least of which is that kids today seem to have an appalling lack of manners and discipline. I know many adults who could benefit from watching a few episodes of Super Nanny. Even the Dog Whisperer knows! A little psychology goes a long way, and calm and assertive wins the day!
jm
August 24th, 2010
11:38 am
TEACHERS UNIONS- ok, I guess the don’t exist legally in Georgia because we’re a right to work state, but the GAE functions as one. They wield as much clout in this state as any union. It’s why every politician is too scared to say what they know is the right thing to do: we will continue using test scores, we will increase the use of test scores, and we will tie it to pay.
If you don’t believe we have a teachers’ “union”, google Georgia Teachers Union and see what comes up (here’s the answer if you’re too lazy http://gae2.org/)
paleo-neo-Carlinist
August 24th, 2010
11:38 am
Paul, as I noted through my modification of the Petreus comments; it is essential to target and hunt terrorists (al Qeada) as opposed to Muslims. (some) Americans may not understand or acknowledge Islam as a “religion” but Muslims who do not commit acts of terror no not criminals (per U.S. law). and, as noted, when Americans (especially politicians and talking heads) start making exceptions for U.S. to “criminalize” otherwise legal activities, we are one step behind Nazi Germany. Hitler’s anti-Semitism was political, not theological. He viewed “Jews” as a social problem, not a challenge to his “faith”. Same is true re: al Qeada/terrorism. we need to separate jihad/terrorism from Islam. it’s not easy, but it can be done. in fact, it needs to be done. does the “motive” of a criminal really matter?
Bruno
August 24th, 2010
11:38 am
“HBD you really want to keep talented teachers in the public schools? Give them the authority to remove chronically disruptive students who hijack the educational process.”
“But at that same school you can walk into EVERY classroom and see a student or two that has no control, and KNOWS the teachers are not being supported.”
@HDB and Easy Answer Bruno–No arguments from me on that point. Classroom time is too valuable to waste on the few (?) who don’t want to be there. Even back in the 70s, I was prone to call out other students who were disrupting class because I was interested in what the teacher had to say, not what they had to say.
BTW, my guess is that (1) you are the same poster using different names and (2) You are a teacher, but don’t want to identify yourself for fear of reprisal. Any truth to that?? If so, you have my sympathies.
stop the spin jm
August 24th, 2010
11:39 am
jm, the largest cheating scandal in Georgia’s educational history is not important? It’s not important that after TEN YEARS the CRCT scores for the system are, the REAL ones, are among the very bottom in the entire state?
This doesn’t even take into account two E-Rate scandals that cost MILLIONS or other misdeeds. When does the excuse making stop jm?
jm
August 24th, 2010
11:44 am
stop the spin – chill a little. I never said the cheating scandal wasn’t important – of course it is.
And the teachers heads need to roll, and they will.
HDB
August 24th, 2010
11:47 am
Bruno August 24th, 2010
11:38 am
Same poster….same name for as long as I’ve been here!
My mother taught in APS for 44 years….I saw what SHE went through…and I was educated in APS also!! I saw what worked…and what didn’t firsthand…..
@@@
August 24th, 2010
11:49 am
Some facts to consider.
Yes it’s true. Members of GAE, which was the majority voting block in Clayton during the accreditation scandal, went to SACS. In particular the board chair had numerous visits with SACS when a reform minded board member affiliated with MACE started asking some uncomfortable questions about the board chair’s signatures on a questionable land deal that ended up with Clayton schools paying millions of dollars over market price.
But as far as using SACS as a justification for anything, why have they said nothing about the largest cheating scandal in Georgia’s educational history or the fact that the APS school board named 7 people to a “blue ribbon committee” to investigate it who had millions of dollars of business dealings with APS? Sounds like something SACS should be looking at; unless SACS is just as guilty of playing politics with accreditation as some of the people they accredit
JJ
August 24th, 2010
11:51 am
On a return flight from Portlant, OR I sat next to a gentleman who works for one of the major testing companies. We talked about the GA cheating scandel and he was neither surprised or appalled. He said he has seen much worse in other states. How disappointing, we’re last in most testing categories and now I find out were not even at the top of the list for cheaters.
Karma
August 24th, 2010
11:52 am
Mr. Bookman -
How much are you getting paid to do positive HR for B. Hall?
And if that is not what you’re doing, who do you buy your drugs from?
Karma
August 24th, 2010
11:53 am
Sorry PR, my drugs are working well today
jm
August 24th, 2010
11:53 am
stop the spin – you’re a twit and don’t have your facts straight. I’ll get them for you shortly.
stop the spin jm
August 24th, 2010
11:53 am
“And the teachers heads need to roll, and they will.”
Again jm you show your ignorance. ADMINISTRATORS are the only ones to be officially sanctioned so far. You think teachers are erasing 175-200 questions on the CRCT with a classroom full of children looking on? You think classroom teachers are out of their classrooms for the HOURS it would take to do this?
If teachers have in fact done this, it’s is only because ADMINISTRATORS gave them unfettered access to the tests AFTER regular school hours.
You are simply showing your ignorance on the matter at hand jm.
stop the spin jm
August 24th, 2010
11:54 am
stop the spin – you’re a twit and don’t have your facts straight. I’ll get them for you shortly.
Yet jm, please tell show us how the AJC hasn’t got their facts straight on a story they’ve been on for two years.
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
August 24th, 2010
12:01 pm
and the “good” news just keeps coming in for NObama – try and blame this one on “W”:
Existing-Home Sales Plunge to Lowest Level in 11 Years
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
August 24th, 2010
12:04 pm
Some more “good” news for Mr. Jump the Gun NObama…..
Sherrod Not Returning to Ag Department – Guess she won’t be able to discriminate any longer.
jm
August 24th, 2010
12:04 pm
Percent Meet or Exceed State Standard
2000 Test Results / 2010 (clean) Test Results
4th Reading: 47% / 81%
4th Math: 43% / 64%
6th Reading: 52% / 86%
6th Math: 46% / 62%
8th Reading: 60% / 90%
8th Math: 36% / 63%
However, yes, they are near the bottom, but there are 30 counties that have done worse, and the improvement is drastic.
If you don’t call that improvement, I don’t know what is. So “stop the spin”, go shut up and get your facts straight. You should be kissing her @ss, pardon my language. I bet you haven’t achieved a 10th of what Hall has in her life. I’m not a huge fan of Hall, but you’re a piece of junk.
HDB
August 24th, 2010
12:06 pm
Bruno August 24th, 2010
11:21 am
“It’s not ALL in the IQ….but methodology AND parental involvement!!”
“HDB–All that we can hope for in the end is that each child lives up to their potential. As stated above, I have worked on the south side of town for the past few years and have worked in the inner city prior to that. Just my opinion, but I didn’t see many kids expressing an interest in education or living up to the potential that I saw in them. Maybe my expectations are too high.”
Bruno…thought about this one for a minute…and my question is this: Were your expectations NOT HIGH ENOUGH?? Having been born and raised on the Southside…..I believe that children, with the proper tools and motivation can RISE to meet whatever expectation we desire. The problem is that they exist in an “instant gratification” paradigm….THEY WANT IT ALL…NOW!! They think that rappers and athletes are the fastest way to success…but fail to note that many of the rappers and athletes are COLLEGE GRADUATES!! Wh have to instill two things into children to insure their successes: patience and perserverance!!
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
August 24th, 2010
12:08 pm
jm – You must be either the one driving her around or her secruity. Don’t deny it, your loyalty is too obvious. She’s at the top – doesn’t the blame go there? Close your eyes and click your heels, you’re not in Kansas anymore…..REAL WORLD – She and her cronnies should be dismissed – withOUT severance.
jm
August 24th, 2010
12:08 pm
stop the spin – Apparently you need to go back to school. I know the teachers haven’t been fired yet. The verb “will” suggests that something is going to happen in the future but hasn’t yet. You probably need to go as far back as elementary school.
If those teachers aren’t fired, I’ll throw a tempertantrum like everyone else. They should have been fired already, but apparently there’s some BS process necessary. Anyway, as I said, they WILL be fired,and if they’re not, Atlanta residents will protest…
Southern Comfort
August 24th, 2010
12:13 pm
Bruno
Actually, I’ve been working on shedding a few lbs. Trying to get down close to 200. I’m sitting at about 235lbs now. I’m trying to lose weight but not bulk up. I’ve been burning fat, but I’m not doing too well at not trying to put on muscle.
jm
August 24th, 2010
12:15 pm
mmm – like I said before, yes she should go. Within the next year or two. On balance, she’s been a pretty decent Superintendent, but its time for her to go.
She shouldn’t be fired abruptly because finding a GOOD new superintendent isn’t an easy process. They should commence the process now and have a replacement by next school year (or the one after).
Paulo977
August 24th, 2010
12:17 pm
A more thoughtful consideration of DISCIPLINE
http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/eps/PES-Yearbook/94_docs/COVALESK.HTM
Matti
August 24th, 2010
12:18 pm
So Comf,
Muscles are hot. Just sayin’.
jm
August 24th, 2010
12:20 pm
For anyone else that wants to trade in facts and not BS, here’s the link:
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ci_testing.aspx?PageReq=CI_TESTING_CRCT
System wide test scores are halfway down on the right. You can pull up 2010 and others as well.
Southern Comfort
August 24th, 2010
12:22 pm
Matti
Too much of anything is not good for you. Having to carry around 245lbs in addition to all the gear I have to wear at work is beginning to take a toll on the knees. I figure if I can get down to 200lbs, then the extra 10-15lbs of equipment won’t hurt nearly as much. Of course, I’ll still have to tone everything up.
@@
August 24th, 2010
12:23 pm
@@@:
I’m not saying that improprieties didn’t occur. What I’m saying is the members who sat on our BofE were more focused on going after each other than they were in educating our student body.
As far as SACS goes…I’m of the opinion that somebody needs to set goals, otherwise, schools will strive for the lowest possible standard allowed. It’s a human flaw.
I’ve seen it happen where I work(ed). New method introduced…learn thru play. BIG MISTAKE! The staff took it to mean that play, rather than learning thru, was the objective. Most didn’t want to put forth the effort to be creative. Took the easy way out, they did.
Once the school administrator realized my predictions were accurate, things changed. Learning can be fun, but it takes effort on the part of teachers.
I’m done here.
Saul Good
August 24th, 2010
12:24 pm
SoCo….walk…and then(when up to it)…run…every single day! 2-3 miles walking burns the SAME amount of calories as running them does. It just takes a bit longer. IF you take a two mile walk everyday for 2 weeks in the AM..your body will get just as “addicted” to it as it is if you drink coffee.
Really…
Southern Comfort
August 24th, 2010
12:35 pm
Saul
I’ve been walking between 2-4 miles a day. I cut out my trips to the gym for a while, but still walking and running. I’ve done as much as 6 miles walking and 3 running. I’m to the point that I need to punch more holes in my belts now, but I’ve still got a ways to go. I may stop at 220 depending on how the knees like it. I don’t wanna look like a crack addict.
Hillbilly Deluxe
August 24th, 2010
12:42 pm
Gov. Sonny Perdue chose wisely and well.
Even a blind hog can find the trough, now and again. Not sure Mike Bowers is the person to judge somebody else for cheating, though.
Saul Good
August 24th, 2010
12:52 pm
SoCo..good for you! I do mean what I said above…keep doing it until it (running/walking/hiking) becomes an addiction. Not sure if you’ve crossed that “line” just yet (where your body NEEDS it daily)… but hey…you’ve seen the results. I bet you feel better about yourself.
Not sure how tall you are…but “crackhead looking” status probably starts at about 160 if you’re 5′10″ and over.
RW-(the original)
August 24th, 2010
1:05 pm
You regularly alter other people’s blog names to get your digs in (sfb instead of sfd, AmWet, etc.)
Well sfb is sort of play on his multiple names of the past and it isn’t to get a dig in, but if stands for decibels has asked Bruno to be his spokesman and is requesting a new abbreviation I’ll certainly comply. As for the AmWet accusation it sounds like another lie to me.
Larry
August 24th, 2010
2:10 pm
Similar to private industry, if you place enough emphasis on achieving a certain result (in this case raising test scores) sooner or later some will find a way to achieve the desired result one way or another. If they can’t teach them, let’s just alter the grade. This is nothing more than an extension of the “social promotion” phenomenom that has been going on for years. When was the last time you heard of a kid being held back because they couldn’t pass? Have we genetically altered our kids so they can achieve or have we improved the level of teaching so that even the slow and challenged can learn or have we merely altered our values?
killerj
August 24th, 2010
2:35 pm
Federal money at their disposal,lots of it.
Paulo977
August 24th, 2010
3:09 pm
jm …. they have you ,don’t they?
Experts? Ha!
Harry Callahan
August 24th, 2010
3:57 pm
Link to NY Times survey…
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15poll.html
Harry Callahan
August 24th, 2010
4:00 pm
Hey, memo to “Normal” amd “USinIK”, I see you guys in the first few posts here making fun of the supposed low intelligence of Tea Party members, and in fact high-fiving each other over your wittiness and cleverness. BUT…according to a NY Times survey, Tea party members are quite a bit wealthier and more educated on average than the general population…and, no doubt, WAY wealthier and more educated than a couple of hopeless liberals like you two. LOL
great jm
August 24th, 2010
4:12 pm
jm wants to come on here and brag about APS’s biggest drop in the state scores on the CRCT and call that a justification for APS and Dr. Hall?
Great job jm!
Bob
August 24th, 2010
5:06 pm
I have to take Hall’s side on this one, it seems she is head of the curve. If you look at the jobs situation today the only new field opneing up is going to work for the feds as an Ebonics translator. About 90% of the 50% that actually graduate from APS are ready to hit the ground running.
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
August 24th, 2010
6:47 pm
Such a peaceful religion: mmm, mmm, mmm….
Deadly Attack in Somalia Is Latest by al-Qaida Ally
Employee
August 24th, 2010
8:29 pm
It is all about making targets and AYP. Yes she created the culture of cheating. The pressure on the schools is tremendous to produce
John Sam
August 26th, 2010
8:39 pm
APS…A False Path of Success without Honesty and Integrity
Will someone finally unravel the real problems within Atlanta Public Schools?
I believe APS RETALIATION against any individual attempting to file a grievance and report wrong doing by their superiors in Atlanta Public Schools is the REAL PROBLEM.
Current investigations need to include former APS employees attempting to use the APS Office of Internal Resolutions. They are the scapegoats in this horse and pony show. Allegations of cheating on standardized tests do not expose the other areas APS officials have so disgracefully “cheated”. The intimidation tactics APS uses in their fake investigations and retaliatory grievance processes have set the ground work for Beverly Hall’s current headache.
Is Governor Perdue’s creation of a state investigation yet another “mock investigation” that covers up the unethical conduct of APS teachers, principals, and administrators for misused funds, falsification of records, and hidden segregation?
The State Professional Standards Commission has been given past reports of unethical APS conduct that have been rightfully reported and later expunged on the basis of “who knows who” in the underground railroad of the Northside Good Ole Boy System. Their ongoing scam can only be compared to the brainwashed, blind eyed minds of Hitler’s Regime.
SOMEBODY with ethics needs to look at the video recorded depositions along with sworn testimonies in a 2004 federal lawsuit. The testimonies of teachers and administrators in this case exposed APS officials and a Northside Principal for falsifying payroll documents, attendance documents, the segregation of minority students, and the misrepresentation of documents to qualify a school for a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award…it’s all recorded in the testimonies of Civil Action File No. 1:03-CV-03178-JOF.
APS officials participated in a relentless campaign of retaliation against teachers at a Northside Elementary School willing to step up to the corruption they observed by filing APS grievances. Ironically, APS documents clearly stated they would protect those involved in requesting internal investigations.
APS has an ongoing history of retaliation against anyone that would question any of their procedures. Ask any former Atlanta Public School Employee. FORMER…because current APS employees know all too well they will lose their jobs if they speak up.
The 2004 depositions clearly demonstrate proof that the same State Rules of Ethics for APS administrators on the Southside of city… do not apply to the APS adminstrators on the Northside of Atlanta.
APS OFFICIALS AND THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMISSION ignored reports and the video taped depositions that proved the following acts were committed by a Northside APS principal:
* Payroll records to obtain a paycheck for the principal’s daughter for almost a year.
* Falsified attendance records of faculty and students.
* Retaliation against teachers willing to report and testify against APS
* Falsified information to obtain a Blue Ribbon School Award.
* Segregation of minority students in Northside Atlanta Public Schools
* Falsified criteria and dates for Bonus Paychecks paid to faculty members.
Considering that this particular Northside APS elementary website states that their PTA could ” run Washington, DC “, it is no wonder the connected neighborhood can keep their powerful strong arm when negotiating unethical conduct of their principals to Atlanta Public School officials.
Should the Southside not enjoy the same benefit of corruption?
Beverly Hall, Kathy Augustine, and the APS comptroller will need the higher tax base and prominence of the Northside’s privileged to save their current positions. These APS high-ranking officials have been covering up the Northside secrets in exchange for political favors for years.
The malicious acts of this Northside principal were ignored by APS and PSC officials when there was clearly evidence that deserved their attention.
Will these acts of cheating on standardized tests receive an equal blind eye?
My hope is that finally, the truth will emerge so the Professional Standards Commission and Atlanta Public School Grievance Procedures provide a safety net for any one wishing to report wrong doing within the school’s system.
My fear is that the entire system…from Sonny Perdue’s State Office of Investigations, the Professional Standards Commission, and the Office of Internal Resolutions within APS will continue with their selective witch hunts to the detriment of the “success” of our education system.
In Beverly Hall’s own words she states, “Could you cheat in all these schools?” adding, ” You would have to spend your whole life cheating…It’s been nine years of consistent progress.”
History has proven Hall’s similar LEADERSHIP tactics of FEAR, INTIMIDATION AND RETALIATION. Will the governor peel back the layers that expose this corruption? Or will he fall in line with the Third Reich?
Hide and watch.