U.S. Supreme Court Won't Hear Appeals From APS Convicted Teachers

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear appeals from two teachers convicted in the Atlanta Public School Systems cheating scandal that made international headlines a few years ago. The court announced Monday, without offering any additional comments, that it would not hear the appeals of Angela Williamson and Tamara Cotman, two Cascade-area educators who were convicted of racketeering and making false statements.

More than 30 former APS employees and teachers were indicted in 2013 in the cheating scandal. Williamson and Cotman appealed their convictions to the state Supreme Court, which denied their appeals, and took their case to the nation's highest court.

The scandal, which took place under the leadership of former superintendent Dr. Beverly Hall, involved a systematic effort to rig the results of the state's Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT).

In 2013, 35 APS employees, including Hall, were indicted in connection to the case. Twenty-one of the defendants pleaded guilty before trial. One defendant died prior to trial. Hall, who had been battling advanced stage breast cancer, was unable to participate in the trial and died shortly after.

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State officials argued one of the worst effects of the inflated test scores was that many children who needed extra tutoring were denied services because their parents were told they were performing well in school. "The whole purpose behind this is to vindicate the little children who got gypped out of an education," said former Georgia Attorney General Mike Bowers, who led the state's investigation.

More Patch Coverage Of The APS Cheating Scandal

3 Schools in SW Atlanta Accused of Cheating

Miles Elementary School Teacher Cleared

Miles Elementary School Teacher Cleared in APS Cheating Scandal

Special Report: None of 20 "Cleared" Schools in APS Cheating Report in Southwest Atlanta

Punishment For Cheating In Atlanta Schools: 7 Years In Prison

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