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Former APS Employees Turn Themselves In

April 2nd, 2013

At least 11 of 35 former Atlanta Public School educators who have been indicted in the APS cheating scandal have turned themselves in at the Fulton County Jail.

According to one of attorneys, former superintendent Beverly Hall is expected to surrender to authorities Tuesday evening.

Among those turning themselves in are several teachers, testing coordinators, and an assistant principal. Former Kennedy Middle School teacher Tameka Goodson surrendered last night.

Her Attorney Ray Lail was outraged at her $200,000 bond and spent most of the day working to get the amount reduced.

“This woman has been never in trouble in her life. It’s ridiculous. You’re punishing people before anything has happened. She’s charged with a crime she’s absolutely not guilty of. Not guilty.”

The bond amount was set even higher for former Parks Middle School reading program coordinator Sandra Ward. Ward originally had a bond of $1 million but her attorney Robbin Shipp was able to negotiate that down to $50,000.

Shipp says Ward is charged with racketeering and 3 counts of false statements and was incorrectly identified as a testing coordinator in the indictment.

“I believe in her innocence and I ask the community to understand this is process. You can’t just listen to one side and decide what the resolution should be.”

It’s an ordeal that Reverend Timothy McDonald of the first Iconium Baptist Church, members of the concerned black clergy and others gathered in front of the jail say the former APS educators shouldn’t have to go through. McDonald admits there was wrongdoing, but he says none of the educators should be jailed. He blames the federal No Child Left Behind law for the cheating scandal.

“This is a failure not of teachers, superintendents and administrators. This is a failure of the system, and we have got to fix the system.”

Former superintendent Beverly Hall has yet to turn herself in. A grand jury recommended her bond be set at $7.5 million dollars. Hall’s bond is now $200,000. The remaining educators have until the end of the day to surrender.