OXFORD — This unfolding saga of teachers accused of paying to have others pass their licensing exams paints a picture of a world in which values are upside down.

Of course, it’s wrong — always wrong — to paint with too broad a brush. Ninety-nine percent of teachers (or more) are as honest as the day is long, but still last week’s news of more than a dozen federal indictments (six of them in Mississippi) raises questions.

One is, what do teachers accused of cheating do when they catch one (or more) of the students in their classrooms doing the same thing?

High-five?

Extra time at recess?

Automatic “A”?

Do they fail them for being ineffective cheaters (because they got caught)? Or do they score the students variably based on the cleverness of their schemes?

The news accounts were pretty straightforward. Federal prosecutors in Memphis revealed they’d caught a “fixer,” who, for $3,000, would arrange for a “ringer” to show up with a fake ID and take the PRAXIS licensure exam for clients.

Apparently this network was longstanding and fairly sophisticated. Indeed, the indictments are technically for wire fraud, which means using the Internet or telephones to set up illegal deals.

As these things go, the violations had to become pretty flagrant for the U.S. Attorney to get involved. It takes a lot of time and effort and expense to prepare cases such as these and federal prosecutors pick and choose among cases to pursue.

As another aside, think about this: Having a teacher who can’t pass the teaching test is one thing — let’s hope this type of fraud is not also taking place for the licensing of heart surgeons and airline pilots.

Mississippians facing the fraud charges, according to published reports, were from Port Gibson, Charleston, Jackson, Columbus, Meridian and Richland.

Some of the reactions were pretty interesting. For instance, a fourth-grade teacher in Charleston has, according to her attorney, received a “vote of confidence” by the school board.

And, for the sake of argument, let’s say she is a pretty good elementary school teacher. Indeed, how much “testable” knowledge in math, science or reading does it take to be able to relate effectively to 10-year-olds? But what about her basic honesty as an individual — or lack thereof? Sadly, some will say it doesn’t matter that a person cheated to get a job so long as once hired the job performance is acceptable. Hence the opening statement about a world in which values are upside down.

Another respondent, Superintendent Ellis Brown of Port Gibson, said the administration there is conducting its own investigation into an accused teacher aide.

Now that’s an interesting response. It could mean that the district finds a federal indictment insufficient, or is merely respecting that those charged are innocent until proved otherwise. But it could also mean something else. In circles of treachery, it is not uncommon that lots of people are in the know about assorted acts of wrongdoing. Be too quick to condemn a person for cheating to get credentials and he might share with the feds his video of you stocking your deer camp freezer with food shipped to the school cafeteria. Corruption is often not an isolated, one-time thing.

Mississippi wasn’t alone in the sting. The alleged Memphis-based mastermind, also identified as an educator, had clients in Arkansas and Tennessee.

But there’s no downplaying that this is a kick in the teeth for those who labor long and argue passionately for more support of public schools in this state.

Funding is one aspect — and the Legislature hasn’t been able to deliver on its own pledge for “adequate” dollars in years.

In the larger picture, there’s public sentiment. Schools need friends. Schools need believers. Schools need community support in their intended roles as centers of learning and self-improvement.

No matter how many times it is pointed out how unfair it is to say the actions of six people reflect the work of the 33,103 teachers in 1,097 public schools with 493,000 students in Mississippi, the indictments will be seized upon by critics.

There will be lasting damage for young people, not because a couple of their teachers turned out to be cheaters, but because their lack of basic values will energize those who seek to condemn rather than build.

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Charlie Mitchell is a Mississippi journalist. Write to him at Box 1, University, MS 38677, or e-mail cmitchell43@yahoo.com.