Support #APS7 Educator Battling Cancer & Unfair Trial

As members of the Abolitionist Teaching Network community and Atlantans may well know, we have a stain on our legislative record in Atlanta that a handful of Black teachers continue to bear.

Nearly a decade ago, 11 Black educators were charged with RICO or racketeering over a standardized test in what became the longest and most expensive criminal trial in Georgia history. In a case marked by--in the judge's own words--"daily perjury," prosecutorial immunity for unverified accusations of cheating, an increasingly aggressive national climate of high-stakes standardized testing, and the backdrop of a desired state-takeover of Black, Atlanta schools, Georgia became the first and only state to criminally prosecute educators over a standardized test despite similar stories arising in 40 states. To learn more about this case, read on here .

Now, in 2024, 16 years after the first arrests and 9 years after the verdict, 6 remaining educators, all of whom have had their lives wrecked by this saga, may go to jail any day now. One of these educators is currently battling Stage 4 Breast Cancer, all while preparing to go back into court on June 25th to determine whether or not she spends the next few months or years of her life in prison. We are attempting to raise funds to help one of the #APS7 to pay for her chemotherapy treatments, insurance deductible, and monthly living expenses. Though she continues to work daily at the age of 62 with stage 4 cancer, she needs our help. This educator's insurance deductible is $5,000 and her monthly insurance cost is $400 alone. She may have to miss work for cancer treatments or court dates. It's time for community to step in and help her to navigate these unimaginable tribulations.

We thank you deeply for whatever you are able to contribute. Even $5 will go a long way. Please share this with your networks and stay tuned to atn_1863 for updates on the #APS7 and how we can all stop the school-to-prison-nexus in Atlanta for these teachers and for the safety of us all.