Two Former Alabama Public School Superintendents Among Six Charged with Fraud Related to Virtual Education
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Montgomery, Alabama – On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, six individuals appeared in court after being indicted on charges related to the fraudulent enrollment of students in Alabama virtual schools, announced United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr., and Acting Special Agent in Charge Kori Smith of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General.
The defendants named in the indictment are: (1) Dr. William L. (“Trey”) Holladay, III, 56, a resident of Athens, Alabama and the former superintendent of the Athens City Schools district; (2) Deborah Irby Holladay, 57, of Athens and formerly employed by the Athens City Schools district; (3) William Richard (“Rick”) Carter, Jr., 45, also of Athens, currently the executive director of planning for Athens City
Six former Alabama educators are facing dozens of conspiracy, identity theft and fraud charges in a wide-reaching federal probe into enrollment practices at virtual schools in the state.
Federal investigators say three former north Alabama educators conspired to fraudulently inflate enrollment data at virtual schools within their districts, triggering larger reimbursements from state education funds they then personally skimmed off.
Former Athens City Schools (ACS) Superintendent Trey Holladay and former Limestone County Superintendent Tom Sisk were both indicted, along with Deborah Irby Holladay, Trey Holladay s wife and a retired Athens teacher.
Prosecutors on Tuesday said the trio padded virtual school enrollment numbers with student data drawn from private schools in the Black Belt. The administrators claimed the students were receiving virtual instruction while remaining enrolled in their home schools and districts.
Alabama educators launch rank-and-file safety committee to close schools and save lives! The following is a statement from the Alabama Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, which has been established to oppose the unsafe opening of schools and nonessential workplaces, save lives and defend public education. Sign up today to join our committee at wsws.org/edsafety!
We are forming the Alabama Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee to protect our lives and the lives of our students, families and the entire community. Our health care system is in a state of crisis
. Earlier this month, the state recorded a record 5,498 new cases. Last week, COVID-19 hospitalizations topped 3,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic, a 63 percent increase since December 4.