Commenters on the AJC Get Schooled blog had a range of reaction to the recent plea deals granted educators implicated in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal. Former Atlanta educators who had been facing felony charges and prison time pleaded guilty to misdemeanors and received probation instead. Here is a sampling of comments under the poster’s chosen screen name:

Living: Smart prosecutors. They're getting these lower-hanging fruit to acquiesce and build their case against former Superintendent Beverly Hall and her cronies. Justice will eventually prevail.

Centrist: Minor offenders took plea deals, and some turned state's evidence against the bigger fish. An assistant principal took a deal; there have to be lots of bigger fish worried now. Wait until the first principal and higher administrators turn state's evidence. The plea bargain breaks are going to get a lot harsher the longer they wait before the fast-approaching deadline.

Bernie: The ridiculous, ill-conceived overreach by Fulton District Attorney Paul Howard is a perfect example of overzealous prosecution run amok. If these cases were as air tight as previously claimed by Howard, why are we now witnessing these plea deals, which amount to pretty much misdemeanor infractions?

Lee: I've always felt the charges were overblown. Racketeering? Really? However, overcharging and getting the defendant to agree to a plea bargain is a common tactic by prosecutors. They know the average person doesn't have the funds for a protracted legal battle. Even in a plea settlement such as this, they are left paying thousands in legal bills. Realistically, this whole sorry episode should have been handled administratively by the Professional Standards Commission, which has the authority to sanction or revoke teacher certificates.

Class: Racketeering may have always sounded like a stretch for the teachers; it sounds very apt for Beverly Hall. Eventually, a lot of the teachers will roll over and turn state's witness against Hall. That will make prosecution of her a lot easier. Hopefully, it will result in a guilty verdict and a long prison sentence.

AnotherComment: It sounds like Atlanta teachers are all hearing that the deal for the teachers is a misdemeanor for obstruction, with one-year first-offender probation if you name names and testify. The goal is to have every single teacher testifying against the higher-ups. This will get interesting when you start to break someone further up. Let's see where the misdemeanor deals will stop.

Enoch: If a couple of teachers let students crib answers, then this is a shameful case for them, but not a big deal for the system or the city. But if the high-profile superintendent created an environment in which cheating was ignored, tolerated or encouraged, then this is a big deal indeed. I believe that Beverly Hall and her lieutenants did exactly that. Moreover, there was a whitewash of her cheating by the big business interests in Atlanta with the Blue Ribbon Commission. It was shameful all around. A pathetic day for Hall, and a sad day for Atlanta and Georgia. Without a criminal investigation, this would have all been covered up and swept under the run.

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