Former DeKalb principal Agnes Flanagan arraigned in cheating scandal

A former DeKalb County Schools principal is facing arraignment Monday in connection with a CRCT, or Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, cheating scandal.

Prosecutors have accused Agnes Flanagan of fraud and forgery. She used to work as the principal at Cedar Grove Middle School.

Last April, a DeKalb County Grand Jury indicted three former DeKalb County School District administrators for cheating and manipulating records.

According to the DeKalb County District Attoey's Office, the three administrators were Flanagan, former Rock Chapel Elementary School principal Angela Jennings, and former Stoneview Elementary School assistant principal Derek Wooten.

Back in March 2011, a school district investigation led to criminal charges and allegations that Wooten changed attendance records to fraudulently boost the school's academic status. DeKalb County District Attoey Robert James said the charges filed in April 2013 had changed slightly, but the allegations remained the same.

"There were children who were chronically truant, who were not coming to school, Mr. Wooten called the teachers in and instructed them to alter the attendance records. That is the allegation of the students," James said.

James said falsifying attendance records helped the school meet federal academic guidelines for achievement, but left children falling through the cracks. He says said also what happened at Rock Chapel Elementary in Lithonia where Angela Jennings was the principal during the 2009-2010 school year.

"She withdraw the students over an eight-day period during the CRCT testing period and these kids even though they came to school, even though they were present, even though they took the test, because they were withdrawn in the computer system, their test scores did not count against the rest of the school," James said.

"There were multiple teachers that were involved and were allegedly acting at the request of Principal Flanagan there and so every time you change a response sheet, it affects a child," James said.