Thurmond Responds to DeKalb Indictments

DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James Tuesday issued an indictment for three former DeKalb educators accused of cheating on standardized tests. Speaking to a group of parents Wednesday, DeKalb’s interim superintendent Michael Thurmond responded to the charges. Hear the broadcast version of this story.

The charges include public record fraud, such as changing attendance records and removing students from school rolls during testing so their scores wouldn’t count. Thurmond said he was saddened by the indictment, but was glad it wasn’t worse.

“I was very encouraged by the fact that D.A. Robert James stated that the cheating, that’s three people, there was no conspiracy, widespread cheating throughout the district,” he said, “I think that speaks well of the men and women that work there.”

The charges come as DeKalb County students take the state-issued Criterion Referenced Competency Test this week. Thurmond says test security is tight:

“Especially after Atlanta and all of the other issues from around the country,” Thurmond said, “We are focused. We are focused like a laser beam on making sure that the tests are administered fairly and ethically.”