DeKalb educator indicted for changing records

Wooten was working as an assistant principal at Stoneview Elementary in Lithonia when he instructed eight teachers to change students’ attendance records on a school computer, District Attorney Robert James told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“He is accused of changing attendance records to reflect children were in school when they weren't. This was all to make it look better for AYP,” James said Tuesday. “The motive was to cover this up so the school doesn't get put on the Needs Improvement list.”

In addition to academic achievement, the U.S. Department of Education tracks student attendance to determine if a school makes Adequate Yearly Progress. Schools with 15 percent of students with 15 percent absent rates will be flagged and likely not make AYP, James said.

The altering allegedly occurred between Dec. 1, 2010, and Jan. 31. Stoneview did not make AYP in 2010.

Four teachers complied with Wooten’s orders, but no teachers were charged. James said the teachers were not indicted because they were simply following instructions from their supervisor.

The other four reported Wooten to school officials, who contracted the district attorney's office.

Wooten was one 24 educators yanked from the classroom in January as part of a probe into allegations of cheating on the CRCT test. Wooten is not accused of irregularities with the standardized test, but the internal CRCT investigation uncovered the attendance altering, district spokesman Walter Woods said.

As of Tuesday, Wooten, an employee since 2007, remained with the school system in an administrative position, Woods said.

“The district attorney’s actions show the seriousness of the actions alleged. The school district supports true academic achievement accomplished by quality teaching,” Board Chairman Tom Bowen said. “We do not condone unethical or illegal steps to overstate performance. Such behavior is dishonest to students and deprives them of the opportunity to learn.”

In addition to the criminal investigation, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission is investigating Wooten’s teaching certificate, Woods said.

James said the CRCT investigation is still ongoing.

Prosecutors said they had no evidence that the principal or central office administrators knew about the attendance changes. However, there is a county-wide push by administrators, police and prosecutors to crack down on school absenteeism, James said.

Any student found to have missed five days has a letter sent home and parent counseling. The solicitor-general’s office gets involved when the number of absences increase to 8-12 and parents face prosecution, James said.