Judge Jerry Baxter called the cheating scandal 'the sickest thing that 's ever happened in this town ' as he sentenced the teachers on Tuesday . All but one of the 10 former Atlanta public school educators were sentenced to jail time . The judge said they had 'abused their positions and trusts' by taking bribes from a businessman who was trying to get them fired, then lying about it when questioned by investigators. The remaining eight received harsher sentences , ranging from one to seven years in jail .
Judge Jerry Baxter called the cheating scandal 'the sickest thing that 's ever happened in this town ' as he sentenced the teachers on Tuesday . All but one of the 10 former Atlanta public school educators were sentenced to jail time . The judge had encouraged all of the accused to negotiate deals , but only two agreed and received lighter sentences . The remaining eight received harsher sentences , ranging from one to seven years in jail .