ATLANTA - A suburban Atlanta principal who resigned amid an investigation into cheating on student tests was arrested Friday and accused of altering public documents.
Former Atherton Elementary principal James Berry was arrested at his home. His assistant principal Doretha Alexander turned herself in to police Thursday night.
Berry was being held without bond, according to a jail official. Alexander has been released on $1,500 bond.
A state investigation released last week found that the two altered student test scores in an effort to boost their school's performance. Officials do not believe students were involved.
DeKalb County Chief Assistant District Attorney Don Geary said he expects the investigation to be turned over to his office in the next few days so a decision can be made on formal charges.
Berry resigned last week, while Alexander was reassigned by district officials. Messages left at each of their homes Friday were not immediately returned.
The arrests follow an audit that found higher scores helped four schools meet standards and avoid sanctions under the federal No Child Left Behind law. The audit found that tests were altered for students at four schools.
The state school board is expected to vote next month on whether to toss out the scores. If the scores are tossed, it would mean none of the schools made ``adequate yearly progress'' on federal benchmarks.
Schools that don't meet standards must offer extra tutoring and allow parents to transfer their children to higher performing schools.
The audit also found the answer sheets of the altered tests had up to 40 erasures, compared with the average of two per student on tests that were not changed. Most of the answers were changed from wrong to right.
Along with Atherton, the tests from Burroughs-Molette Elementary in Glynn County, Atlanta's Deerwood Academy and Parklane Elementary in Fulton County are also under review.
Tuesday
April 22nd, 2025
5:08AM
