1 of 3 DeKalb educators reported to jail, bonded out
The AJC is reporting that three DeKalb ‘educators’ have been indicted on charges of cheating – a felony offense punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Former DeKalb County Principal Agnes Flanagan was booked in the DeKalb County Jail on Wednesday is now out on bond. Flanagan, the former principal of Cedar Grove Middle School, is accused of telling teachers to change students’ answers on the 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests. Flanagan worked for the DeKalb school district from 1988 until 2012.
All three former DeKalb County school administrators indicted in connection with alleged cheating technically have until this afternoon to turn themselves in at the jail, though at least one got permission to arrive later.
The accused typically have 24 hours to report to the sheriff, and a judge signed the indictments against Angela Jennings, Agnes Flanagan and Derrick Wooten at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Along the same subject – have any of you wondered whatever became of the last batch of cheaters?
We all remember when former high-ranking DCSS administrator Frankie Callaway was accused of intimidating an administrator to change grades for a student. She quickly retired and has ended up as a highly paid administrator at the prestigious (her word) Leadership Prep Academy, a DeKalb charter school housed at New Birth Church, under a contract signed by a New Birth leader—none other than our new board member, Melvin Johnson.
You may also remember back in early 2010, when James Berry, principal of Atherton Elementary was accused of cheating (he later confessed). Berry was a long time friend of Crawford Lewis, who actually sent an email blast to all 14,000+ employees asking them to write letters of support to Berry and his co-defendant AP Dorothea Alexander!
dekalb school watch two 
The administrator has been indicted for cheating. No matter the good things she did in her life, once she condoned cheating on her staff, she lost her good name. We tell the children in our schools to make decisions carefully. Certainly, the leader of children, the principal, better have a conscience and an intact value system. If she’s guilty as charged, she will be punished. And she should be. As for the illustrious Melvin Johnson and Frankie Calloway and her husband, they’re pure buffons! None of them care about anything but profit. Melvin Johnson, the chairman of the Board???!! That’s got to be a joke. The guy can’t put a thought or a sentence together and doesn”t know anybody’s name – comical to see! Disgraceful as the measure of a man.
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This is not to minimize the seriousness of cheating, but it is also important to not lose sight of how this came about. We have spent more time this year testing than teaching. As I (and many other educators) test a child, my heart aches to teach him/her. The motivation behind the testing is the belief that teachers are not accountable. We cannot talk about the content of the tests. However, too many items are poorly written and an additional slap in the face of those teachers who could construct better, more appropriate, test questions. The funding for teaching the children who struggle the most is in jeopardy when those children do not make progress. Those making the rules and constructing tests and deciding that we will have another series (or 2) of tests, should be held accountable for what they are helping create. What is being created is not necessarily what was originally intended. AYP, FTE, quotas, etc. There can be only so many children in a class or group. However, there is no funding for enough teachers. So, who is providing the answers for administrators that are “between a rock and a hard place?”