Six elementary school principals named in a widespread cheating scandal are suing Atlanta Public Schools, demanding the district halt efforts to remove them until key evidence is released.
The district isn't planning to renew the expiring contracts of the six principals, all of whom were implicated in the 400-plus-page cheating investigation report released in July. The state investigation concluded cheating occurred at 44 schools and involved some 180 educators, about 50 of whom are still on paid administrative leave.
The six principals have job protection rights earned while they were teachers. That means the district doesn't have to promise them another principal position, but it does have to guarantee them a teaching contract, or show why they should be fired from the district completely.
"APS has to prove these educators did something that violated a rule, policy or code of ethics that disqualifies them from returning to the classroom as a teacher," said their attorney, Michael E. Kramer. "All of these charges have nothing to do with their abilities as classroom teachers. They were all excellent classroom teachers."
The six principals are: Marlo Barber of F.L. Stanton Elementary, Anthony Dorsey of Fickett Elementary, Tamarah Larkin-Currie of White Elementary, Mimi Robinson of Connally Elementary, Tonya Saunders of Toomer Elementary and Cheryl Twyman of West Manor Elementary. Most are accused of "failing in their responsibilities" as a principal because cheating allegedly went on during their watch.
Two are accused in the state report of more serious offenses -- Barber of changing student answers and Saunders of instructing teachers to cheat. Kramer said there is no evidence to support those claims.
The lawsuit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, says the principals can't get a fair hearing until important pieces of evidence are released -- evidence that is now in the possession of District Attorney Paul Howard, who is looking into criminal charges tied to the case.
Kramer said the evidence could show the principals were well intended and could not have known the unprecedented cheating scandal was playing out at their schools.
Superintendent Erroll Davis has said on many occasions he believes principals have a "duty of care" and should be held responsible for what happened at their schools.
APS spokesman Keith Bromery said the district could not comment because the matter involves potential litigation and APS has not been formally served with the lawsuit.
Kramer also wants access to the raw data from the test erasure analysis, so an independent review can be conducted. Wrong-to-right answer erasures on state exams were a critical guide during the cheating investigation. Kramer said he believes an outside analysis may show the methodology used was flawed.
"The net of the investigation was cast too broadly and caught some people solely on statistics we believed are flawed and faulty," he said.
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