Atlanta teen says he was cheated out of education

ATLANTA — A former Atlanta Public Schools student claims he was able to graduate only after a teacher cheated on his behalf.

Chartez Bailey says that, over the course of a couple of weeks, he sat and watched his teacher complete multiple quizzes, assignments and tests for him in a course he was failing.

An investigation by the Atlanta Public Schools system found no evidence to support his charges, but Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Richard Belcher found striking patterns in grade improvement and completion dates for Bailey's course.

Bailey attended commencement for Carver Early College High School on May 25, 2016.

It was a moment of pride for students and families as they accepted their diplomas. But Bailey says he felt anger and shame beneath his smile.

"I shouldn't have graduated. I should never have walked across the stage," Bailey told Belcher.

Bailey came to Belcher with a story the school district flatly rejects.

He says he was able to graduate because a teacher did his work in a chemistry course.

"She did my coursework for me. I sat there and watched her do my coursework," Bailey told Belcher.

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Bailey says he was at a meeting with the teacher and longtime Carver High School Principal Marcene Thornton when Thornton pressured the chemistry teacher to do "whatever it takes" to help Bailey finish a tough chemistry course to graduate on time.

Bailey says he told the principal he wanted to finish in summer school.

"She shook her head and said, ‘That's not an option.’ She said, ‘You're going to graduate and you are going to get out of here,’" Bailey told Belcher.

After Belcher started asking questions about Bailey's allegations, the school system started an internal investigation.

Atlanta Public Schools investigators concluded there was no meeting of Bailey, the principal and the teacher, that his story is filled with inconsistencies and that there is no evidence of cheating.

In the report, the principal called Bailey "mentally disturbed."

In the school system's report, the teacher says from the time she was assigned to work with Bailey, he remained in her classroom the entire school day.

According to Bailey's grade transcript, he had an average of 65 on his chemistry quizzes at that point.

Over the next two weeks, his scores spiked upward and stayed there. He scored an average of 90 on the rest of the quizzes.

The teacher told the investigator that, because of her experience and knowledge of the subject matter, "an increase would be expected."

Belcher showed the scores to retired Atlanta Public Schools teacher Dr. Tish Glover, who taught Bailey in an earlier chemistry course.

Belcher asked Glover if the improvement seemed unusual.

"I think so. When that happens, I always think they had some kind of outside assistance," Glover told Belcher. "I don't know this teacher. Of course, I never taught at Carver. But this teacher, maybe she's a miracle worker," Glover said.

The records show that Bailey completed 14 assignments the day before graduation, and 14 more the day of graduation.

Officials with the school system say such last-minute work is not uncommon.

Glover, who taught for 30 years at four Atlanta high schools, says that amount of work in a tough chemistry course is incredible.

"Most students cannot do that. You are covering massive concepts in second semester. So that just does not seem right," Glover told Belcher

Belcher also uncovered a complaint filed by a school counselor at Carver High School against Thornton.

In it, the counselor wrote: "A student revealed to me that Mrs. Thornton is making two teachers perform his online chemistry class for him."

The principal accused the counselor of "manipulating a mentally disturbed young man because she is upset for not receiving a contract” for the next school year.

Bailey stands by his story and says the chemistry course taught him nothing.

"What they're trying to say is they're renewing the commitment to us as students. No, you're not. You're just covering it up," Bailey said.

PREVIOUS ACTIONS QUESTIONED

In 2008, a teacher at Carver Early College gave Belcher a memo that Thornton had sent out as semester grades were being submitted.

The headline in the memo was an order: "No F's allowed this semester!"

An excerpt from Thornton's memo seemed to suggest that teachers are to blame when students fail: "We must ... let go of the habits that destroy students."

Teachers apparently got the message.

The number of F’s given to Early College students dropped a staggering 82 percent from the previous semester.

"The pressure is amazing," Glover told Belcher.

Glover says principals are measured by many things, including the number of students who fail courses at their schools.

Pressuring teachers to find a way to pass students is common, she says, though perhaps not as blunt as Thornton's "no F's" directive.

"Can a principal make life miserable for a teacher who fails too many students?" Belcher asked Glover.

"Of course. It happens all the time," Glover said

"This is her way of cheating the system. This is her way of showing the system that I run my school. This is her way of keeping her reputation intact," Bailey said.

Atlanta Public Schools sent Channel 2 Action News the following statement:

"Atlanta Public Schools is committed to investigating any and all reports of unethical behavior.  While APS may have had a history of unethical practices, this administration has proven that it takes such allegations very seriously and has held several employees accountable for not demonstrating integrity in their actions. However, in the case regarding Carver High School, we completed a thorough investigation and concluded that there is no credible evidence to support the student's claims. On the surface it may appear unusual for a student to have completed several credit-recovery assignments in the days and hours leading up to a graduation ceremony, yet when a student's chance to graduate from high school is at stake, it is very common to see students become more motivated and push harder to complete online assignments up until the graduation ceremony. Unfortunately the district is not at liberty to discuss the circumstances surrounding an individual student's academic and disciplinary record that would provide additional context around the validity of such a claim, however the district stands by its finding that this accusation is not credible."

Cox Media Group