Prison time cut for educator convicted in Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial
Atlanta Public Schools (FOX 5)
ATLANTA - A former Atlanta principal will avoid prison after a judge reduced her sentenced for her conviction for racketeering.
Dana Evans is one of 11 educators with the Atlanta Public Schools convicted in a highly-publicized cheating scandal back in 2015. She was also found guilty of one count of false statements and writings, besides violating the RICO act.
The former Dobbs Elementary School initially faced one year in prison with four years of probation to follow on the conviction. She also was ordered to complete 1,000 hours of community service.
On Tuesday afternoon, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter dropped the prison time, halved the community service, and said Evans would be removed from probation upon completion of the 500 hours of community service.
This is a win for advocates who have been working to reduce or undo the sentences of those involved in the scandal.
"Evans and 10 other educators were wrongfully convicted in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial, the longest and most expensive criminal trial in Georgia’s history," supporters wrote in a joint statement released after the hearing. "Seven years after the case made national headlines, taxpayer dollars and resources have continued to fund the prosecution of Black educators over alleged cheating on standardized tests."
The Abolitionist Teaching Network, Georgia National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Southern Center for Human Rights, and other advocates called on the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office to continue to keep the former educators out of prison.
"Prison sentences for teachers do not serve the interests of the communities most affected by the ‘cheating scandal,’" the statement read in part.
Six others now are vying for similar outcomes on their sentence appeals.