ATLANTA (AP) — The state's teacher licensing agency has suspended investigations temporarily into nearly 200 Atlanta educators accused in a massive cheating scandal.

Rick Eiserman, spokesman for the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, says the agency is halting investigations of the cases until mid-December at the request of Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard. Eiserman said Howard feels the state's investigation could impede his criminal investigation of the cases.

A spokeswoman for Howard did not immediately return a request for comment.

The commission has already yanked the licenses of 11 educators in the cheating scandal and planned to address dozens more in coming months. Eiserman said the commission hopes to have the cases wrapped up by May.

A state investigation released this summer revealed widespread cheating in nearly half of the district's 100 schools.