ATL Teachers Sentenced to Prison in Cheating Scandal: Can the same charges be used against leaders of the WTBTS?

by Wild_Thing 9 Replies latest social current

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  Wild_Thing

  First of all, I stand in support of the teachers ... sort of. This system of over testing in America, connecting test scores to monetary rewards or punishments, and threatening teachers with their job over test scores is directly to blame for the environment created where teachers and administrators felt pressure to cheat. But at the same time, they lost their integrity and cheated. Yes, they should lose their job and be punished, but not be sentenced to 20 years!

  Here is the interesting thing ... they were not convicted of cheating. They were convicted of making false statements and racketeering. Racketeering is any criminal activity that is performed to benefit an organization. Isn't that what the Watchtower does?

  Why can't these types of charges be brought up on some of the borg leaders who have lied, hidden evidence, and refused to provide subpoenaed evidence? It just seems to me covering up child abuse AND their mishandling of it is much more worthy of racketeering charges than these school teachers.

  Just my two cents. If you are not familiar with the case, here is the short version: 35 educators were originally indicted by a grand jury with charges relating to cheating on state tests. All but about 11 or 12 made plea deals. 1 died of cancer before trial. The rest rolled their dice with a trial and lost. Some were sentenced to more prison time than pedophiles get.

  Here is the link to today's sentencing hearings if you want to read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/14/us/georgia-atlanta-public-schools-cheating-scandal-verdicts/
  
  
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  Iown Mylife

  Totally agree with your take on the whole thing.

  I would hate to be starting out in school today. If they can even find people willing to be teachers, how mean their attitudes will be towards the kids. If a kid does not learn to test well the teacher can lose their job. The student may be learning everything but freeze up during testing.

  The teachers in the test cheating should simply have been fired and fined, not jailed. This kind of threatening atmosphere in school will be like jail for the KIDS!

  And YES the criminals protecting the WT instead of being tough on pedophiles absolutely should be serving time behind bars, as well as the abusers.

  Marina
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  OnTheWayOut

  I followed with interest at one time. I get that there was huge pressure upon the teachers. I also disagree with criminal jail time.

  So, yes. I can say that many at Watchtower are cheating. There is pressure on them to misuse quotes and data and to manipulate the members into giving more money. I would also lump these people in with the teachers, caving in to pressure, and disagree with jail time. But as I would expect "Banned from Teaching" for the one group, I would expect "Banned from Preaching/Recruiting" for the other.
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  DesirousOfChange

  A 20 year sentence is ludicrous!

  This is as wrong as beating a child who just needed a "time out".
  

  Justice was not served.

  Doc
  
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  Simon

  The children they "taught" have one shot at an education. As the judge said, the schools were the one chance some of those kids had. Having a single bad teacher for a subject for a semester can be devastating to that part of a child's education. Having a system being run by corrupt people manipulating it for a fast buck is a real crime.

  Leaving school and not being able to read or write means many are likely headed to a future in prison. It will then be blamed on race issues or lack of money being spent* or some other nonsense but for these kids, those teachers let them down badly just for some extra money.

  Do they deserve prison for it? Hell yeah - no repentance or even acceptance that they did wrong. They committed fraud and screwed up kids lives in the process. Long jail terms are totally appropriate.

  * things like this are why some places with supposedly deprived schools actually have more spent on kids than others that are viewed as favoured. It's not that the money isn't spent, it's that it's spent badly and diverted from providing proper education.
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  adjusted knowledge

  Wild_Thing and DesirousOfChange, could you please state the name of any of the defendants that actually received a 20 year sentence.
  

  I believe they deserve jail time. The reason is the ones being sentenced went to trial, because they wouldn't admit guilt. They committed fraud and received financial gains based upon their deceit. The judge tried working with these defendants and even after being found guilty allowed them to work out deals.
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  Wild_Thing

  adjusted knowledge ... perhaps this will help. It is from AJC.com, Atlanta's newspaper.

  Out of the 11 that were found guilty, 3 of them, who were top administrators, were technically sentenced to 20 years, but only 7 will be served in prison, and 13 on probation (plus a $25,000 fine and community service). 5 of the lower level teachers received lighter sentences of jail time, and 2 of them were allowed to make a plea deal after the fact that included no jail time, as long as they would waive right to appeal. The 11th teacher just had a baby and will be sentenced later.

  The names of the three that got "20 year" sentences are Tamara Cotman, Sharon Davis-Williams, and Michael Pitts.
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  Wild_Thing

  There are some teachers who succumb to the pressure and cheat. (I believe most do not.) There are some who become bitter and take it out on the kids. (Most do not.) But I can safely say the majority of teachers became teachers to work with kids and make a positive impact on their lives. (It's definitely not for the pay!)

  Teachers know where the blame lies when it comes to mandated state and federal testing, and it is not the kids. Teachers want an end to the excessive testing, and most people don't realize this, but teachers are the low man on the totem pole. A step above the custodian. They have little, if any power, over what testing they give, or how it is given. And test scores should NEVER be tied monetary gains or losses. It's not fair to the kids or the teacher.

  Kids are more than a test score, and there are more (and better) ways to judge the success of a school.
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  adjusted knowledge

  I agree with you about majority of teachers wanting to have a positive impact on children, but none of these convicted teachers will serve 20 years in prison. Two of them will spend 7 years in prison. I feel anything more than two years is harsh. The judge would have been much more lenient if the remaining teachers would of taken responsibility.
  

  My father was a teacher for 28 years, and a Superintendent for 16 years. Each county and state are different in how Superintendents are selected, but for my father it was an elected position. I as a voter, father of a child, would have no qualms if my father was sentenced to prison if he did as these so call educators did.
  

  The justification that their jobs are hard, low paying, and the testing is unfair is no excuse for what they did. Could we not argue that in most lines of work cheating would make our jobs easier? For example, I was over food compliance at my former employment, and I had multiple check lists that I had to complete daily. Imagine if I just checked the box, but I never performed the task. If your child got sick from listeria, I'm sure you would want me held accountable.

  Standardize testing is very important for children to master. The reason being is it surely will be required if they want to pursue higher education in America. To enter college I had to take the SAT. I wanted to take a few courses towards a MBA degree, and was required to take the GMAT. Just to get into nursing school I had to take the TEAS and HESI nursing entrance exams. Since I have degrees, but not in education, I can still teach, but am require to pass the FTCE/FELE.
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  Wild_Thing

  adjusted knowledge ... I agree with you. In the criminal justice system, they still technically got sentenced to 20 years. If they flub up during probation, they have to go back to prison and serve the remaining 20. It might be a small difference to point out, but it is quite glaring when you compare it to sentences that murderers and child molesters get.

  As for standardized testing, I have become bitter about the whole thing. I am a teacher. When I started teaching many, many years ago, all of this testing was not the sole focus of school, and now it is. I am about to start administering the state test to my students. 3 weeks of testing everyday. Several hours each day. They are 10 years old. They are not taking the bar exam to become a lawyer. I feel like I am committing child abuse! And this does not include the HOURS of practice testing that district forces us to do. I use to do so much more teaching. Now all I do is test.

  To make it even more frustrating, I work in a high-poverty, high immigrant school. I just had one of my Somali students go back to visit Africa for three works, and I just had two new students move in just a few weeks before the state test is to be given. One of them if from Kenya and has only been learning English for a few years. The other is an American, but she is so low academically. I emailed her old teacher to get the scoop on her, and she said that she has been in many, many schools during her short education, she has attendance issues, the parents will not help, and she will never do any homework at home.

  This happens all the time, everyday. And when the scores come back, all of these children, including the ones that just moved in the week before testing, will be tied to my name, and my ability to teach will be judged by them.

  Sorry for the long rant! I am VERY frustrated with the direction that public education has taken since NCLB was signed into law. With that being said, I will never give up my integrity and cheat. And anybody that does should be jobless!