Schools
Toomer Principal Firing Upheld in Test Cheating
An education tribunal upheld the firing of former Toomer Elementary principal Tonya Saunders, who is accused of telling teachers to cheat on a 2009 state exam.
Former Toomer Elementary principal Tonya Saunders’ firing in a 2009 test cheating scandal was upheld on Thursday by a tribunal of educators Thursday, the AJC reported.
Saunders was accused of telling teachers to cheat on state exams in 2009. According to a state investigation in 2011, she told teachers to make students go back and check incorrect answers, and she told teachers to look ahead in the exam booklet to make sure they taught all the material on the test, investigators alleged, according to the AJC.
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Saunders denied doing anything wrong. She was on medical leave when the 2009 exam was given. Her attorney, Michael Kramer, said she fully cooperated with the investigation and passed a polygraph test when questioned about cheating, the AJC reported.
“This decision is extremely disappointing,” Kramer was quoted as saying to the AJC. “[It’s] an extreme punishment for being a principal at a school identified in the governor’s investigation.”
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The Fulton County district attorney’s office has an ongoing investigation into the matter. And the school board will now vote whether to accept the tribunal’s decision, the AJC reported.
See also:
How Did Your School Fare in the Cheating Investigation?
Davis on cheating scandal: We will 'put this sad episode behind us'