Lawyer: Ex-Superintendent Hall battling cancer
Former Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall is battling breast cancer, her lawyer said Thursday.
In a statement, Atlanta attorney Richard Deane said, “As has been reported to the court in connection with her bond determination, Dr. Hall has been diagnosed with breast cancer, a serious medical condition for which she is receiving treatment. As a matter of her personal privacy, Dr. Hall does not choose to say more.”
Hall is among 35 former APS officials and educators who were indicted by a Fulton County grand jury in a sweeping racketeering indictment, which accused the defendants of conspiring to inflate scores on standardized tests.
Hall’s attorneys have said they will contest the charges, insisting Hall is innocent. In recent weeks, Hall’s legal team informed Fulton prosecutors of Hall’s illness.
Hall came to Atlanta in 1999, and in 2009 was named national superintendent of the year. She left APS in 2011.
“(O)n behalf of Dr. Hall, we do want to thank her many friends and supporters who have contacted her in response to these reports,” Deane said. “She continues to be grateful for their support and takes encouragement from their kind thoughts and well wishes. Please be assured that whatever her health concerns, Dr. Hall will continue to fight the charges brought against her as she is innocent of these charges.”
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
