A former Atlanta school system testing coordinator pleaded guilty Wednesday, becoming the sixth educator charged in the test-cheating scandal to admit to wrongdoing.
Lera Middlebrooks, who worked at Dunbar Elementary School, admitted she gave teachers answer sheets for standardized tests after students had taken them and believed the teachers used the sheets to change incorrect answers. Middlebrooks violated protocol because she was not supposed to give the answer sheets out after the tests had been taken, lead Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis said.
Willis told Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter that the negotiated plea had been reached after an emotional meeting with Middlebrooks. “I think more tears were shed in this interview than in some of my murder cases,” Willis said.
When asked Wednesday if she had committed wrongdoing, the 50-year-old former educator said flatly, “I am guilty.”
Middlebrooks was indicted on charges of racketeering and three other felonies. In exchange for her guilty plea and testimony at the trial set for next spring, prosecutors allowed Middlebrooks to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor count of obstruction.
Baxter sentenced Middlebrooks to one year on probation. She also was ordered to perform 250 hours of community service and required to write a letter of apology for her actions. Middlebrooks was also given first-offender treatment, which means her conviction will be erased if she abides by the terms of her probation.
Middlebrooks was too emotional to read aloud her letter, said her lawyer, Wesley Gerard Person, who read it for her.
Middlebrooks wrote that she always strove to teach her students that “integrity matters.” But she admitted letting them down by compromising the integrity of their tests and their education.
“I will forever regret my actions,” she wrote.
Middlebrooks’ decision to cooperate with the prosecution means she could give damaging testimony against four former Dunbar teachers who are also charged in the racketeering conspiracy.
According to the plea agreement, Middlebrooks gave the 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test answer sheets to teachers Shani Robinson, Pamela Cleveland and Diane Buckner-Webb. The teachers had been asked to erase stray pencil marks on the tests, but instead they huddled together in the computer lab with the answer sheets, Willis said.
During this time, Middlebrooks believed the women were changing incorrect answers, Willis said.
Later, Gloria Ivey, the fourth Dunbar teacher indicted in the case, agreed with the group to “stick to the story” and tell investigators they did not know about test cheating, Willis said.
All four Dunbar teachers have pleaded not guilty.
There are now 28 remaining defendants charged in the sweeping racketeering conspiracy indictment. Prosecutors say more guilty pleas are expected to be entered Thursday and Friday.
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