Prosecutors and lawyers for Beverly Hall tried last month to work out a plea deal in the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating case in which Hall would agree to plead to a single felony charge in exchange for probation and her agreement to pay restitution, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
But talks broke down because the agreement would have allowed Hall to plead guilty in a way that would not require her to accept responsibility for wrongdoing, those familiar with the matter said. Such a plea can be permitted under a 1970 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Hall's defense attorney and Fulton County's district attorney both declined comment Wednesday afternoon.
Hall, 67, is charged with engaging in a racketeering conspiracy to improperly inflate students’ scores on standardized tests. She also stands indicted of theft by taking, giving a false statement and submitting a false document in 2009 when she turned in her superintendent’s test certification to the state Board of Education. Hall and a dozen co-defendants are scheduled to go to trial late next month.
This week, Hall filed a court motion seeking to delay the start of next month's trial by six to eight months because she is battling Stage IV breast cancer.
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