In what has been dubbed one of the biggest cheating scandal in United States history, eight of the ten former Atlanta teachers accused of conspiring to cheat on state tests to earn raises and bonuses, were convicted of their crimes.
Investigation on these allegations originally began back in 2011, with an official trial beginning last year. With the trial coming to a close today, two of the 10 former Atlanta public school employees opted to take plea deals for their involvement, while the remaining teachers will serve anywhere from one to twenty years behind bars.
Former teacher Pamela Cleveland will serve five years' probation under her plea deal, including one year home confinement between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., while Donald Bullock, a former testing coordinator, has received six months of weekends in jail and five years' probation.
As a restriction under their deals, both parties can not appeal, while the other eight did not decide to take the plea deals. The latter can appeal within 30 days of their convictions, as Fox 5 Vegas has reported. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter had this to say about the case, calling it, "the sickest thing that's ever happened in this town."
It's understandable that these teachers did wrong, but doesn't these charges and sentences seem a little harsh, despite the situation? 20 years?
Fox 5 Vegas has a full breakdown of the convictions, fines, and sentences handed down to these former teachers. Take a look over here and view the verdict above.
Source: Fox 5 Vegas
