Theodore Boone: The Scandal

Chapter 27

The Friday morning newspaper had the story on the front page, complete with a great front-page photo of Mr. and Mrs. Boone walking into the courtroom, each holding a thick briefcase and looking like they were ready for business. It was a lawyer’s dream. A long story described the hearing. There were summaries of the testimony and arguments from the lawyers.

Theo read it quickly and hurried off to school. The morning passed slowly.

At three minutes before noon, Judge Gantry posted online a two-page ruling dismissing the criminal charges against the teachers. He said, in part, “While I am disturbed by the actions of the defendants, their behavior did not rise to the level of criminal activity.”

Theo texted congratulations to his parents and went to the cafeteria for lunch.

At two p.m., Dr. Carmen Stoop issued a statement to the press. She announced that the school board had no choice but to terminate the contracts of the five teachers. Two years from now they would be allowed to reapply for teaching positions in the school system.

This surprised no one; but what followed did. Dr. Stoop said that the results from the previous testing would be disregarded at all grade levels. And, furthermore, the Strattenburg School District would no longer participate in the standardized tests required by the state. The district could “opt out” of the testing, but doing so would mean the loss of significant state funding.

In her statement, she said, “This city has always placed a priority on good schools and providing the best education possible for our students. We will continue to do so. This will require a lot of community support and more money from our city council. Frankly, we believe we are in a better position to educate our children than the people at the state level. To do so will take a great effort from all of our citizens.”

Theo read the statement online and couldn’t suppress a smile. No more standardized testing. No more “teaching to the tests.” No more tracking. No more competition for the Honors track. No more special classes for gifted students and lesser classes for lesser students.

He went to find April.

Elsa put together the party with little effort. She called a deli and it delivered a tray of finger sandwiches, another of brownies and cookies, two gallons of punch, and three bottles of champagne. She called the defendants and invited them to stop by for a small celebration.

Theo knew that every schoolteacher was starving by late afternoon. They were on their feet all day with little time to eat. The offer of good food and something to drink was irresistible. By 4:30 Friday, all five of the former East Middle School teachers were in the conference room — four with their spouses. Geneva Hull brought her current boyfriend. Every member of the Boone law firm was there.

Though their futures were unknown, and certainly not promising, they were in the mood to celebrate, if only for a short time. They were no longer considered criminals and would not face the nightmare of being prosecuted. For hard-working educators who had little or no dealings with the criminal justice system, the prospect of going to jail had been terrifying. Now that had passed. They could pick up the pieces and try to get on with their lives. For a short time that Friday afternoon, they were happy and wanted to unwind. They also wanted to thank their lawyers.

Theo and April sat in a corner and sipped punch. They were relieved, too. The scandal was finally over, and they could talk about something else.