ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News has learned that two Atlanta high school teachers were caught providing answers to important tests.
Both incidents took place last May. In one case, two students complained to their parents, which triggered an official investigation. In the other case, students were overheard talking about the cheating, and that triggered a separate investigation.
Science teacher David Olorunfemi was found to have given students study materials that included answers to a biology test APS administrators say was similar to a final exam.
School district investigators concluded that coach Harlen Graham provided students with answers to a standardized test similar to the CRCT. The subject matter was recreation games.
Deputy APS superintendent David Jernigan told Channel 2 Action News investigative reporter Richard Belcher, "I think it is unfortunate to put kids in a situation where they have to be whistleblowers, but in this case, they were."
Unlike the previous cheating scandal, records provided to Channel 2 show no indication that administrators tried to look the other way. Jernigan says the district responded exactly as it should have.
"Not only did we have kids and teachers and leaders quickly report the unethical behavior, our HR Department investigated quickly, acted quickly and we held the two adults accountable," he said.
APS says Olorunfemi retired and Graham resigned.
Dana Persons, a Grady parent who lives within walking distance of the high school, told Channel 2 one of her sons was in the biology class in question. Persons praised Grady's principal for the way the matter was handled.
"He did the right thing. He nipped it in the bud, and he got rid of the teachers that were cheating, and that's basically what we would ask for,” she said.
Jernigan told Belcher it is important for the public to know that the district will move aggressively against cases like this.
"I think every time an adult is held accountable for unethical behavior, it serves the purpose of telling everyone in this district that it's a new day here. People will be held accountable for this sort of behavior,” he said.
Jernigan says he cannot think of any reason why a teacher would have wanted to help students cheat on the test that is similar to a final exam, but he speculated that a teacher might want students to score higher on the state standardized test, because part of a teacher's evaluation is based upon growth in scores on the test.
He says teachers receive no financial bonuses for higher student achievement in either of these courses.
According to Jernigan, APS has an open investigation of another instance of suspected academic misconduct that was initially reported in mid-September. The district did not reveal the name of the school in question.
WSBTV
