Judge lets in evidence in APS cheating case
A judge denied another defendant’s request Friday to suppress statements given to investigators who were looking into allegations that Atlanta educators cheated on standardized tests.
Dessa Curb, who taught at Dobbs Elementary, testified that she felt intimidated into talking to investigators, and she thought she’d lose her job if she didn’t cooperate.
But the prosecution argued that Curb’s statements were voluntary, and that the law doesn’t protect people who give false testimony.
Curb is charged with making false statements and racketeering. She’s one of 34 former Atlanta educators facing criminal charges related to allegations that they conspired to change answers on Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests so their schools could meet academic standards and receive bonus pay.
Curb said she didn’t cheat when asked by state investigators in February and March 2011.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter also heard similar motions earlier this week from other defendants in the case who were seeking to suppress their statements.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
