Edwards gets last CRCT files

ALBANY — Dougherty District Attorney Greg Edwards said that his office had received a package Monday from the governor’s CRCT investigators containing what he hopes are the last of the case files needed to move foreward with the judicial and administrative phase of the cheating scandal.

“We did receive a package from them (investigators) yesterday and I hope we finally have all of the case files,” Edwards said Tuesday. “I have assigned two members of my staff to review the files. They are voluminous, more than 3,000 pages. It is a time-consuming process.”

The assistant reviewing the bulk of the files is Lewis Norris.

“Lewis was assigned to review the files because he’s not from Albany and has no connection to anybody mentioned in the case files,” Edwards said.

Edwards’ office is reviewing the files for possible criminal prosecution. The bulk of the case files — possibly all of the files — eventually will be turned over Dougherty County School System Attorney Tommy Coleman.

After Coleman reviews the files, the cases will be turned over to a tribunal system, which will conduct individual hearings and make recommendations to the Dougherty School Board.

The Board’s options range from doing nothing to termination of employment.

Of the original 49 educators implicated in the 293-page CRCT investigator’s report, 42 remain in limbo. In January, two teachers were fired, two principals retired and three teachers are no longer in the system.