The family of an Alabama private school student filed a lawsuit against public school officials Tuesday, alleging their child’s right to privacy was violated when officials fraudulently enrolled the child in public school without their knowledge. The family hopes to make the case a class action and has asked the court to certify on behalf of all students whose identities were allegedly stolen .
Former Limestone superintendent set to plead guilty in fraud case waff.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from waff.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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 school officials in Alabama have been indicted over a scheme to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in state education funding by pretending to enroll private students into virtual schools.
Federal prosecutors say educators in Athens City Schools and Limestone County Schools stole the identities of hundreds of private students and falsified enrollment records to make it appear as though the children were full-time attendees of virtual schools throughout the state.
By allegedly doctoring the records, the conspirators were able to obtain $7 million in state education funding for the 2016–17 and 2017–18 academic years. Private schools persuaded to take part in the conspiracy by sharing their students data were rewarded with laptops and access to online courses.