DCSS resignations may come soon

ALBANY — Dougherty County School System attorney Tommy Coleman said Wednesday he was not aware of any resignations resulting from the Tuesday release of the governor’s CRCT cheating report.

Coleman, however, said he expects some resignations by the time students and teachers return from the long holiday break on Jan. 5.

The report cited 11 elementary school principals in addition to 38 other DCSS staff members for either misconduct, cheating and failure of duty, or a combination of the three charges.

Coleman warned Tuesday against lumping all principals and teachers into one basket, stressing that there are “different levels of culpability” among the group.

Gov. Nathan Deal’s office said Tuesday it would forward the findings to Dougherty District Attorney to determine if criminal charges were warranted on a case-by-case basis.

Greg Edwards, who earlier recused himself from School Board Member Velvet Riggins’ fraud cases, said he was still mulling over his options in the CRCT situation.

“I’ve not recused myself (from the CRCT probe) yet,” Edwards said. “I know a lot of those people. They are either friends, fellow alumni or I know them in a social sense. I am still evaluating my options and have yet to make a decision. My major concerns are making sure justice is served and maintaining the integrity of the process.”

Should Edwards decide to recuse himself from the CRCT, he said he would call the State Attorney General’s office and request a special prosecutor from Atlanta.