The case of 34 former Atlanta educators accused of cheating moved closer to trial Friday even after the first defendant was found not guilty last month.
Judge Jerry Baxter fought off obstacles that could have delayed the trial, maintaining a schedule that calls for all defendants to appear in court at once starting May 5.
Many of the defendants, including former Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall, sat in the crowded courtroom with their attorneys Friday as Baxter tried to keep the case on track.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys said their cases were bolstered following the trial of Tamara Cotman, a former regional director whom a jury acquitted of a single count of influencing a witness.
J. Tom Morgan, one of Hall’s attorneys, said jurors in Cotman’s case believed that it shouldn’t have been treated as a criminal matter, and the same is true for the other defendants. He said educator misconduct is regulated by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, which licenses teachers.
But Senior Assistant District Attorney Clint Rucker said the jurors believed cheating occurred, and he’s confident he will win convictions based on charges more directly related to cheating than what Cotman faced.
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