Is the case against APS educators falling apart in view of not... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

Is the case against APS educators falling apart in view of not... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Is the case against APS educators falling apart in view of not guilty verdict today?  

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Phil Skinner / pskinner@ajc.com

Previous Posts

• Cheerleader uniforms in school? Not worth the battle.
  September 6, 2013
• Cuts in education come at the expense of long-term prosperity
  September 5, 2013
• APS: Beverly Hall battles breast cancer. Indicted principal dies. 
  September 5, 2013

By Maureen Downey

When the Fulton DA announced the aggressive prosecution of APS educators for their roles related to the CRCT cheating scandal, several lawyers told me that the charges were a stretch and a questionable use of tax dollars.

Turns out they may be right.

As the AJC is reporting: The first defendant in the cheating scandal -- Tamara Cotman, shown left after the verdict this morning-- was found not guilty, confirming the legal view that these charges may be hard to make stick.

After the indictment of 35 people in the APS cheating scandal, including former school chief Beverly Hall,  the question became whether Fulton District Attorney Paul Howard could make his case in court. Howard has been criticized in the past with overcharging defendants, most notably in the 2000 Ray Lewis case where the Baltimore Ravens player was indicted, along with two associates, for murder. Critics contend that the lack of evidence against Lewis contributed to why there were ultimately no convictions in the high-profile murder case.

A while back, I ran an essay from attorney Lawrence Schall, now president of Oglethorpe