35 educators indicted in Atlanta cheating scandal

ATLANTA -- In another embarrassing blow to Atlanta public schools, nearly three dozen former educators, including the ex-superintendent, were indicted Friday in one of the nation's largest test cheating scandals.

Former Superintendent Beverly Hall faced charges including racketeering, false statements and theft because, prosecutors said, some of the bonuses she received were tied to falsified scores.

Hall retired just days before a state probe's results were released in 2011. She has long denied knowing about the cheating or ordering it.

The criminal investigation lasted 21 months and the allegations date to 2005. In addition to Hall, 34 people were indicted: four high-level administrators, six principals; two assistant principals; six testing coordinators; 14 teachers; a school improvement specialist and a school secretary.

All of the people named in the indictment face conspiracy charges.

The investigation involved at least 50 schools as well as hundreds of interviews with school administrators, staff, parents and students. The district has about 50,000 students.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard would not directly answer a question about whether Hall led the conspiracy. Hall faces up to 45 years in prison, Howard said. Richard Deane, an attorney for Hall, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The tests were the key measure the state used to determine whether it met the federal No Child Left Behind law. Schools with good test scores get extra federal dollars to spend in the classroom or on teacher bonuses.

It wasn't immediately clear how much bonus money Hall received.

The previous state investigation in 2011 found cheating by nearly 180 educators in 44 Atlanta schools.