Although the test cheating scandal in Georgia schools is probably more prominent in our minds, justice has been handed down in a similarly sinister Tennessee case.
Clarence D. Mumford Sr., a former teacher and assistant principal in Memphis, was sentenced Monday to seven years in federal prison for leading a scheme to help teachers cheat on credential exams, the New York Times reports.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and aggravated theft in a 63-count indictment in February. In addition to the prison stint, Mumford has been ordered to pay a $167,339 fine.
Mumford worked for the Memphis City School District for 20 years, during which he paid teachers to impersonate others in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee at exams required for teaching licenses.
Between 1995 and 2010, Mumford made more than $120,000 on the scheme that involved 36 people, including his son, Clarence Jr., who had a stand-in take a test for him. Cedrick Wilson, a former wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers and substitute teacher in Memphis, also paid for Mumford Sr.’s services.
The elder Mumford is the seventh person to be sentenced in the scandal. Clarence Jr. and three others are awaiting sentencing.