Beverly Hall, other school officials, indicted in APS cheating scandal (Update)

• Joeff Davis/CL File
• Former Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall

A grand jury has indicted former Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall and more than two dozen other former educators on an array of charges, including racketeering, for their alleged roles in the school system’s test-cheating scandal.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard this afternoon announced that Hall and 34 principals, administrators, teachers, and other APS officials were indicted on 65 counts, including violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, theft by taking, influencing witnesses, conspiracy, and false statements. (Here’s the DA’s announcement. And here’s a link to the indictment.)

Grand jury recommend $7.5 million for Beverly Hall. All 35 indicted staff members told to turn themselves in Tuesday at Fulton jail #fox5atl
- Justin Gray (@JustinGrayFOX5) March 29, 2013

Hall, who joined APS in 1999, was considered a star administrator who turned a poorly performing school system into a success story. But in late 2008, the AJC conducted an analysis into suspiciously high gains on test scores. Reporters Alan Judd and Heather Vogell continued digging and found more instances of changed answers and other signs of possible cheating. The state took notice and launched its own investigation in early 2010.

In July 2011, Hall, who has denied any wrongdoing or involvement in a cheating scandal, resigned from APS. A few days later, the state released its report. It was depressing. According to its authors, “a culture of fear and a conspiracy of silence infected this school system, and kept many teachers from speaking freely about misconduct. From the onset of this investigation, we were confronted by a pattern of interference by top APS leadership in our attempt to gather evidence.”

After the jump, comments from APS Superintendent Erroll Davis and Mayor Kasim Reed.