B.E.S.T Academy High School Principal Resigns After Bullying Allegations

Boris Hurst is now officially the former B.E.S.T Academy High School Principal after resigning over teacher allegations of wrongdoing.

B.E.S.T Academy High School's principal, Boris Hurst, has officially resigned his post after allegations of bullying teachers into cheating, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Boris Hurst had been the B.E.S.T academy principal since it first opened in 2010, but after complaints began to come in from teachers, he was removed from the school and put on leave in March 2012.  According to the AJC, who saw the notice of charges signed by Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Erroll Davis, Hurst "ordered teachers to inflate students’ grades, berated teachers who questioned him, and issued warning letters to teachers with high failure rates." Hurst's resignation came after a February 21st disciplinary hearing, in which APS' lawyers …

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Cascade Students Join Middle School Baseball Program

A unique non-profit is showcasing young African-American males this week who want to learn the national pastime.

Three Cascade schools will be the site this week of an effort to not only bring young African-Americans into baseball, but provide a foundation of values to last a lifetime. C.J. Stewart, a former Major Leaguer who got his baseball start through the Cascade Youth Organization, is founder and CEO of L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct). L.E.A.D. is hosting its second annual signing day events for its middle school developmental league from Monday, March 12, through Wednesday, March 14. The events are designed to replicate the atmosphere created when high school students sign letters of intent to play for major colleges, only at the middle school level. B.E.S.T. Academy is the site of the first signing, on Monday at 10 am. Young Middle…

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Who's Cheated? An Ongoing Report on the APS Cheating Scandal

Special Report: None of 20 "Cleared" Schools in APS Cheating Report in Southwest Atlanta

However, several schools near Cascade Patch—including the all-male B.E.S.T. Academy and all-female Coretta Scott King magnet schools—did make the list.

The state's investigation into cheating on the 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) has marred the image of the Atlanta Public Schools and resulted in a rapid-fire effort to remove 178 educators—including 38 principals—across the city this week. But 20 schools in a database of investigators' findings— published earlier this month by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution—are listed as having received "clear" reports. None of the schools are in southwest Atlanta, as defined by Cascade Patch (see Editor's Note). They are: Having the status of "severe"— or even "moderate" or "minimal"—concern for cheating, could have a profound effect on a school, according to statements made by state and local leaders since the initial release of the …

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