6 Alabama school officials charged with fraud, conspiracy in $7 million virtual schools scheme
Updated Feb 23, 2021;
Posted Feb 23, 2021
The Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Montgomery. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)
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This story has been updated.
Six Alabama educators have been indicted in a years-long, lucrative fraud and conspiracy scheme involving virtual schools throughout the state.
Federal prosecutors say officials in Athens City Schools and Limestone County Schools, including two former superintendents, conspired to get more state funding by pretending to enroll full-time private students into the systems’ virtual schools. The two school districts were improperly paid around $7 million in state education funding for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years, according to federal officials.