Former Atlanta Principal Convicted in Cheating Scheme Asks for No Prison Time

One of 11 Atlanta educators found guilty of racketeering in 2015; Dana Evans asks Fulton County judge not to put her behind bars. 

An education scandal that shocked the state of Georgia, Evans faces one year of prison time following her nod to overlook a cheating scheme brought to her attention as principal of Dobbs Elementary School. 

Teachers and administrators were changing answers on students’ standardized tests, and several teachers let Evans know, and she failed to investigate. Now that her appeal for no prison time ended in January since the Supreme Court of Georgia declined to hear the case, a new hearing will begin on Monday, February 14.  

Evans’ attorney, Bob Rubin, is pleading to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter not to take her to prison. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she has spent all of her time working in the “nonprofit sector, supporting low-income families and refugees who moved to Georgia.”

Rubin says, “She’s absolutely terrified at the potential of having to report to prison, and not just for herself, but for her family and her clients. To be pulled out of the work that she’s doing is difficult for her to fathom.” 

The motion outlines the civil duty Evans has partaken in and how she is giving back to the community. 

“She wants to continue to help the at-risk population that she’s working with and continue to do as much good as she can as long as she’s on this earth.” 

After nearly a decade of the high-profile case, Rubin cites Evans’ “extraordinary rehabilitative efforts.” She has helped underprivileged children and families as a counselor. “She currently works as a clinical director at a community-based mental health program that serves primarily low-income families.” 

Rubin’s argument in her defense states that a prison sentence would affect the community. Evans isn’t the only educator convicted.

Tamara Cotman and Angela Williamson served prison time in 2018 after losing their appeals. However, they have been released ever since. Two other educators received curfew restrictions and weekend jail time. 

An online petition received over 400 signatures asking the judge to drop the prison sentence because “sending teachers to prison for cheating is immoral.”