CRCT criminal investigation in Dekalb County leads to arrests
The former principal and assistant principal of Atherton Elementary School in Decatur have been arrested on charges of cheating on student tests. A state investigation revealed last week that the two changed answers on student tests in an attempt to increase their school’s performance.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution has the story.
The principal, James Berry, had resigned last week during the investigation and was arrested at his home on Friday. He is currently being held without bond. The vice principal, Doretha Alexander, turned herself into police on Thursday after being reassigned by school district officials. She has since been released on $1,500 bond. Both face charges of altering public documents.
The two arrests come after the state audited test scores and discovered that four schools had higher scores which helped them avoid sanctions under No Child Left Behind. Specifically, the audit revealed that some answer sheets had as many as 40 erasures and that most had been changed from wrong to right. The average number of erasures on tests that were not altered was two.
The state school board must now decide whether to keep the scores of those four schools. If the state does not keep the scores or if a school does not meet the standards of No Child Left Behind, the school must offer extra tutoring and give parents the opportunity to send their kids to a better school.
Deerwood Academy, Parklane Elementary, and Burroughs-Molette Elementary are also being investigated for possible alterations.
Pate & Brody is an accomplished Georgia law firm with offices in Atlanta, Macon and Madison. Our lawyers are dedicated to pursuing justice for people charged with serious crimes. We have successfully represented clients facing serious federal criminal charges and state criminal charges in courts across Georgia. Our lawyers have been recognized on the list of Georgia's "Super Lawyers", and included among Georgia's "Legal Elite" by Georgia Trend Magazine. Page Pate was recently the Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association.
