A Bridgeport mother pleaded guilty today to illegally enrolling her son in a Norwalk school.

Officials say Tanya McDowell, 34, stole $15,000 from the district by enrolling her son at Brookside Elementary School instead of a Bridgeport school.

After the hearing, McDowell's attorney, Darnell Osland, said that despite the plea, his client maintains her innocence on that charge.

"One thing you do know she's done for her child was to put him in a good school," Osland said.

The case attracted national attention from some education advocates after her arrest last year, but support for McDowell waned after police charged her with four counts of selling drugs to undercover police.

McDowell also pleaded guilty to the drug charges.

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