why were so many teachers afraid to report the abuse to principal francis boyd?the school system's administrative ladder does the evidence of misconduct go? parents of students in pickens' class say at the time of the district's personnel changes, they still were told nothing by the school. the marshalls say they slowly began to figure it out after they were interviewed for the investigation. from there, the marshalls say they began a long two-year quest to obtain documents and records from the district. jake marshall's parents eventually obtained a copy of the pickens' investigation report. they were appalled to learn what had happened to their son and other youngsters in jake's class. hitting, screaming, vulgar language, and being strapped in a chair isolated and alone in darkened school rooms. the marshalls filed a complaint, accusing fulton county school district of knowing about the abuse for years and covering it up. marshall says her family reached a confidential settlement with the school district in 2009. she then reached out to lisa williams, mother of