Noted Atlanta community activist and WAOK radio personality Derrick Boazman spoke recently to rolling out magazine about the Atlanta Public School cheating trial. Boazman and several community leaders have attempted to engage both the judge in this case, Jerry Baxter; and the prosecutor, Fulton DA Paul Howard, for leniency on behalf of the teachers who stand accused and now sentenced. He has told a shocking story of a recalcitrant and obstinate district attorney and a legal system that is set on destroying the lives of the educators involved. Educators are now facing years in jail — not for stealing or killing — but rather for changing the answers on CRCT tests of failing students in poorly performing public schools.
You had a meeting with District Attorney Paul Howard to discuss the plight of the accused educators. Tell us about what happened.
Well, we went to Fulton County DA Paul Howard to have a conversation about this unprecedented RICO case and asked that justice be tempered with mercy and compassion. It is shameful of the system to charge these educators with the same laws used on mobsters. Paul Howard is a man we considered to be a friend, a resident of Atlanta and a person whom we have supported in the past. Community organizers and civil rights leaders were able to garner 40,000 signatures on a petition asking the judge and Paul Howard to be lenient in the sentencing of the teachers. Instead, at this meeting we were met by Howard with a hostile and condescending attitude. Showing ego and arrogant gravitas.
What was the reason for Howard’s demeanor?
Howard demanded justice be served and stated that many of the teachers had an opportunity to agree to a plea deal in which they would have to admit they were guilty of the crimes of which they were convicted in order to get a lighter sentence.
What else happened at the meeting?
We wanted alternative sentencing for the teachers. Perhaps probation and having them do community service centered around literacy and to please have humanity when dealing with these educators. But it was clear that Howard was more interested in retribution rather than justice. As arrogant as he was, we felt it was a waste of time to continue the meeting and as a group we left the meeting with District Attorney Howard.
What is your feeling about the scandal and its impact on education in Georgia?
The bigger picture is that we are seeing the commandeering of public education. Public education has been vilified and dehumanized. The new Atlanta superintendent wants to make all Atlanta Schools charter schools. But organizations hold the charter and they must be paid. The bigger picture is that we are seeing the commandeering of public education. Think about it; the budget for APS is close to 1 billion dollars and is larger than the city of Atlanta’s budget. With the recent passage of the school takeover bill, the state is now in a position to take over school systems and set curriculum. We are witnessing the deliberate dismantling of public education.
