Monday, September 17, 2012
The oversight body again warned DeKalb Schools earlier this month after numerous complaints from parents and staff.
DeKalb Schools Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson has sent a letter in response to a warning from the school's accrediting agency earlier this month, 11 Alive News reports. The warning letter from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which has the power to pull DeKalb's accreditation, cited numerous complaints from staff and parents. Atkinson wrote that the "district has implemented plans to improve upon all standards." SACS letter in September specifically cited the board's legal costs. The district has been accumulating legal fees related to charges of corruption and internal dealing by a former superintendent and a former executive staffer. Atkinson in her letter cited ongoing improvements: an internal legal team that was …
Federal Bill would mandate radiation warning labels on all cell phones in the U.S.
U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) introduced new, groundbreaking legislation recently to address concerns about the public's health from cell phone radiation. This comes soon after 62% of DeKalb County residents voted "NO" on a telecommunications tower referendum that asked whether the school board should place or operate telecommunications towers on any independent, public or charter school property. The federal bill is something that the countywide opposition group in DeKalb County, Get the Cell Out – Atlanta, and others, including The Center for Safer Wireless, The Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, the Mount Shasta Research Center, Moms of Merrick, and Get the Cell Out (California) have been anticipating. According to …
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Planning for DeKalb's 2013-14 "balanced" school calendar is underway.
A group of DeKalb County's teachers, principals, and parents met yesterday, Sept. 4, to develop multiple calendar options for the 2013-14 school year. Among the options under consideration is a “balanced calendar” which will reduce the summer break by two weeks and include an additional week of vacation each semester. Another possibility is a weekly “early release” to allow for additional professional development for teachers. The options this group ultimately agrees upon will be unveiled Sept. 17 and made available for public comment until Sept. 26. Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson will then make her recommendation to the DeKalb County School Board on Oct. 1. The Board will vote on a final calendar Oct. 8. “The process for creating a …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
All 12 candidates have confirmed their participation.
- SCHOOLS
-
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA) of Arabia Mountain High School (AMHS) cordially invites you to attend a DeKalb County School Board Candidate Forum on Thursday, July 19, 2012 from 6:45 p.m.— 8:30 p.m., in the Auditorium at 6610 Browns Mill Road in Lithonia. All the candidates have confirmed their attendance at the Forum. The format of the Forum will be as follows: Each candidate will make a one-minute opening statement; Voters will submit their questions for the candidates prior to the meeting. Only 8-12 questions will be asked. Candidates will have one minute to answer. Candidates will have the opportunity to make a two-minute closing statement. Doors will open to the public at 6:15 pm so please plan to arrive early. This …
Friday, July 13, 2012
Patch's Question of the Week asks, are metro Atlanta kids heading back to school too soon?
Used to be, kids in most Atlanta schools went back into the classrooms after Labor Day. Man, those were the days. For the 2012-13 school year, Decatur schools open Aug. 1, and city of Atlanta students hit the books Aug. 6. DeKalb and Fulton county schools open on Aug. 13. To some, it seems as if summer vacation gets shorter and shorter each year. To others (harried parents running out of kid-friendly entertainment options, perhaps?), it can't come soon enough. So our Patch Question of the Week is, do you feel that summer vacation is too short? Do kids head back to school too early? Or do they need that classroom time in order to prepare themselves for a successful future? Take our Patch poll and share your opinion in the comments.
School Board candidate writes about the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SACS, is the organization that holds the accreditation process for DeKalb County School System, DCSS. As a candidate for DCSS District 4 Board of Education, I am studying the rules and regulations of board membership and ethics are a particular area of interest given the recent history of DCSS. Current board members have made comments, in conversation and in a campaign forum, that made me sit down hard and think about what they said: "A school board member is not allowed to enter a school without the express permission of the superintendent." I've been searching on the SACS website now for the rule that states that, or an explanation, or even if it exists. For an organization whose sole …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The district's Twitter and YouTube feeds start Thursday.
Members of the DeKalb County Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Atkinson will launch DeKalb Schools’ first ever Twitter and YouTube channels on Thursday, May 3, at 6:30 p.m. The event will stream live on the District’s Twitter page. Parents are invited to view the event live by following the School District on Twitter. The School District’s social media channels will post up-to-the-minute news, photos, video and other content to promote student achievements, as well as District news and information for parents and residents.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Committee recommends new balanced calendar for 2013-2014.
DeKalb County Schools parents will have an extra year to adjust to the possibility of early dismissal on Wednesdays and a shortened summer vacation. In an announcement Thursday morning, a school district spokesperson said the school board will not make any changes to the 2012-2013 school calendar. The board of education was set to vote May 7 on changes to the school calendar for the upcoming school year. In the three options on the table, start time in August would have ranged from Aug. 1 to Aug. 13, which parents said would have impacted summer camp and vacation plans already in place. In 2010, school started Aug. 9. Each of the options would dismiss students from school one-hour early on Wednesdays. The DeKalb County School District …
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Today is the deadline for parents to tell county officials how they feel about proposed calendar changes.
The DeKalb County School System is seeking comments from parents regarding the 2012-2013 school calendar, and the deadline is today, April 12. The three proposed calendars have changed significantly from the previously approved 2012-2013 calendar. Parents should review the three proposed calendars and submit comments via the online survey. This affects all who live in and work in DeKalb county, especially those with children, even if they are in private school or not yet in school at all. All three calendars include early release every Wednesday students are in school. The board is expected to finalize the calendar for the 2012-2013 school year at the May 7 board meeting. Option A: Option B: Option C: What do you think of the proposed …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The new service, called K12 Alerts, is free and available to everyone who wants updates about local schools.
A new service called K12 Alerts will keep parents, staff members and residents informed of weather related closings and early dismissals as well as other important news affecting DeKalb County Schools. The system's website reports that this new automated notification service will send news via email, text message and voicemail. K12 Alerts also works on iPads/iPhones or any Internet enabled device or computer. The free service also allows messages to be translated into multiple languages and is available to anyone who registers for it. "This new channel will be an essential tool to provide important information to parents, teachers and others in the DeKalb Schools community,” said Dr. Cheryl Atkinson, Superintendent of the DeKalb County …
Donna
12:06 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
I read Dr. Atkinson's letter boasting of everything she's put in place since taking office. Sent her and the school board emails asking when they are going to get around to putting teachers in my 2 sons 4 classes without one at Tucker High School. No response yet. Didn't even receive a grade on progress reports sent home yesterday for the first 4.5 weeks of school that are now down the drain. more ›