Atlanta School Cheating Scandal Update: 11 of 12 Defendants Found Guilty

Eleven former Atlanta educators were convicted Wednesday in a public school cheating scandal that has rocked the district for the past decade.

"We've been fighting for the children in our community, particularly those children who were deprived by this cheating scandal," Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said, according to CNN.

The defendants, including teachers, a principal and other administrators, were accused of falsifying test results to collect bonuses or keep their jobs in the 50,000-student Atlanta school system. A 12th defendant, a teacher, was acquitted of all charges by the jury.

All 11 were convicted of racketeering, with a mixture of convictions and acquittals on other charges, including making false statements, WGCL reported. One teacher was acquitted of all charges.

According to the report, the state investigation found that as far back as 2005, educators fed answers to students or erased and changed answers on tests after they were turned in.

Evidence of cheating was found in 44 schools with nearly 180 educators involved, and teachers who tried to report it were threatened with retaliation.

"I'm shocked and stunned," said Gerald Griggs, a defense lawyer who represents Angela Williamson, a former elementary school teacher who was convicted of racketeering, plus two counts of false statements and two counts of false swearing. "The evidence in my client's favor was strong, yet she now faces 35 years in prison."

More than 20 former school system employees took a plea deal, WGCL reported.

Sentencing hearings should take place in coming weeks but charges could carry a 20-year prison sentence, according to the report.