Georgia News(Week 7) - School Laptop Controversy

According to a recent article, a"rare, 26-member special grand jury has begun an investigation into the school system's failed plan to give laptop computers to thousands of students and teachers." The investigation is intent on finding out whether or not laws were broken during the contracting process for the plan with Apple Computer. Each jury member is a resident of Cobb County, the involved county, but, as the article, states, "there [is] no restriction on occupations." The setup of the grand jury for this case is interesting, as there is no time limit as to how long they can deliberate for and the jury can set its own agenda. Cobb Superior Court judge Jim Bodiford can, however, end the jury's deliberations if he "believes the panel has reached an impasse." The $88 million plan in question was proposed by former Cobb Superintendent Joseph Redden and caused a huge public debate when announced, eventually leading to testimony of suspicion of a "tainted" bidding process. The jury, according to the article, will "determine if anyone should be indicted for falsifying documents, conspiring to rig bids or committing perjury in connection with the computer contracts." This should be an interesting case, especially given the setup of the grand jury and the nature of the case itself. Given this interesting setup, however, this ordeal could last for a very long time, unless Judge Bodiford feels it necessary to stop their proceedings.

Link: http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/cobb/1105/04schoollaptops.html?cxntnid=amn110405e