Dr. Beverly Hall Responds To Cheating Scandal

By Rose Scott

Atlanta, GA –
Shocked and saddened are just two of the words former Superintendent
Dr. Beverly Hall is now using in response to the state's investigation into cheating within the Atlanta Public Schools.

Dr. Hall's letter:

A MESSAGE FROM DR. BEVERLY HALL
JULY 8, 2011

I am shocked and saddened by the facts uncovered by the Investigators. The instances of cheating they have documented are serious and cannot be ignored. I am particularly concerned for those students who have been affected by misconduct and whose education has fallen short as a result.

I am also disturbed by the repeated references to statements by teachers and other professionals declaring that they cheated or chose not to reveal cheating because of a perceived atmosphere of intimidation and retaliation.

A number of years ago, we installed a hotline by which persons with knowledge of misconduct could report it and could do so anonymously if they wished. Anonymous emails and letters provided a further channel of communication.

Even so, it now appears that our efforts and procedures were not enough.
To the extent that I failed to take measures that would have prevented what the Investigators have disclosed, I am accountable, as head of the school system, for failing to act accordingly.

I sincerely apologize to the people of Atlanta and their children for any shortcomings. If I did anything that gave teachers the impression that I was unapproachable and unresponsive to their concerns, I also apologize for that.
Where people consciously chose to cheat, however, the moral responsibility must lie with them.

I do not apologize for the reforms my staff and I implemented during my tenure as superintendent. The public has a right to hold educators - and administrators - accountable if they fail to teach children what they need to learn.

We set goals for our schools because our students deserve no less.
But, most importantly, we accompanied our targets and the targets mandated by No Child Left Behind with programs and facility improvements designed to give principals and teachers the means to achieve them.

It is my hope that APS parents and supporters will not read the report as a sweeping indictment of the Atlanta Public Schools and the accomplishments of the past decade.

The vast majority of our educational professionals are dedicated, hardworking and innocent of wrongdoing. They fully deserve our respect and our gratitude.