2 more APS teachers resign rather than face panel

Two more Atlanta Public Schools teachers accused of cheating have resigned rather than attending hearings to fight for their jobs.

Damien Northern, a teacher at Parks Middle and Cheryl Hunt, a teacher from Gideons Elementary, were both scheduled this week to go before a panel of educators to determine their fate. Both admitted to cheating, according to a state investigation released in July.

In a statement released exclusively to the AJC, Northern said he was another "victim" of Atlanta Public Schools.

"I am sorry I became a part of something that shortchanged the education of so many students. I feel guilty because I was not strong enough to do anything about this troubled institution before I was forced to be in a compromised position myself," he said.

"I cannot say it took this ‘cheating scandal' for me to realize that Atlanta Public Schools was a system rooted in some of the very principles I stand firmly against. I was compromised by a morally bankrupt system, and I viewed them as such during my entire tenure."

Three teachers out of 11 the district is taking steps to fire are still scheduled for hearings. Last week, a panel voted to fire Damany Lewis, a Parks Middle teacher. He was the first teacher fired as a result of the cheating investigation.

Almost 180 teachers were implicated in the scandal.