The Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial, in which 12 defendants stand accused of engaging in a racketeering conspiracy to inflate test scores, began on Aug. 11, 2014, with a jury-selection process that lasted for six weeks. The prosecution called its final witness on Feb. 11, 2015, exactly six months after the start of jury selection. Former APS Superintendent Beverly Hall — widely accused of orchestrating the alleged cheating conspiracy but unable to stand trial because of breast cancer — died on March 2, six days after the last witness testified. The jury of six men and six women began deliberations roughly six and a half months after they were selected to serve.
Accordingly, here are the six APS cheating trial stories you need to read to grasp this epic case.
Fulton County prosecutors alleged Monday that a ring of Atlanta Public Schools educators relied upon a “magic elixir” to carry out a test-cheating scandal: a No. 2 pencil with an eraser on the end. But prosecutor Fani Willis devoted a good portion of her opening to a phantom defendant — former Superintendent Beverly Hall.
» Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial: Week 14
Week 14 of the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating trial was shortened by Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, yet there was still plenty of time for drama. On Wednesday, as the tedium of months of testimony began to take a toll, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter clashed with several lawyers, including a prosecutor.
» Prosecution rests in Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial
After four grinding months of testimony, the Atlanta schools test-cheating trial has arrived at a major milestone, with prosecutors finally resting their case Tuesday. More than 130 witnesses established that school employees were participating in and condoning behavior that harmed children.
» Defense rests in APS cheating trial
Were they lying, cheating villains or caring, committed educators? Soon, jurors who have tried to absorb nearly five months of testimony in the Atlanta Public Schools conspiracy trial will have to filter through their notes and memories to decide.
» Beverly Hall dies; criminal case — and her legacy — unresolved
Beverly L. Hall, the former Atlanta schools superintendent whose renown as an education reformer dissolved amid the ignominy of the nation’s largest test-cheating scandal, died Monday of breast cancer. She was 68.
» It's time for the jury to decide the APS cheating case
Finally, more than six months after they were picked to serve on the jury, six men and six women will decide who the victims were in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating case: the students alone, or 12 former educators as well.
» FIND OUT MORE: The latest APS headlines | Know the defendants | How it started
