New Charges Continue Trend Of School Prosecutions

We wrote back in February about what looked like a “growth industry” for possible corruption prosecutions: cheating on standardized tests at elementary and secondary schools.  With funding and individual pay increasingly tied to test scores, we noted, prosecutors should have ample opportunity to pursue charges against those accused of “juking the stats.”

Attorney General Kathleen Kane proved us right on Thursday, announcing charges against four teachers and a principal from an elementary school in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia.  The charges, including tampering with public records, perjury and forgery, stem from allegations of cheating on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment over a period of five years.

The AG’s office says that its investigation into “widespread cheating in the Philadelphia School District and elsewhere in the Commonwealth is ongoing.”  So expect more “growth” in this industry soon.