Jim Kinney Running For School Board

Tucker resident wants to put the focus back on education rather than "a totalitarian focus on discipline."

I was first introduced to the idea of running for the school board when the parent of a tutoring student, then DeKalb County Commissioner Judy Yates, suggested it based on my enthusiasm for teaching. As time went by and I was exposed to the school system as a parent, I began to realize that my physics and math background provided the analytical skills that seemed lacking in the decision process. The ongoing and current budget crisis, the egregious ethics violations in the central office, the cover-up of a known pedophile in the schools all were the final points that made it clear a change in leadership was required. The apparent focus on education being replaced with a totalitarian focus on discipline first is not productive of an healthy …

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Cheryl Miller

4:58 pm on Monday, June 4, 2012

to review the comments from around DeKalb, see: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/GTCO-ATL   more ›

Letters To The Editor

Tucker Middle Band Visits Washington, D.C.

Band performs at the Martin Luther King Memorial and gets a Congressional Proclamation.

I'm Lawrence Jennings, Director of Bands at Tucker Middle School. I would like to share some exciting news with you with hopes that you can post it in the Patch. On Thursday March 29, 88 students and 16 parents met at Tucker Middle School at 10 p.m. and loaded two charter buses to travel to Washington DC. The students were members of the Tucker Middle School Symphonic Band, Orchestra and Chorus. We arrived in Washington Thursday at noon and toured Union Station followed by a tour of the US Postal Museum. Later that evening we went to dinner at Buca di Beppo, an Italian resturant. After dinner we celebrated our arrival with a directors' party in the hotel ballroom. What I really want to share with you is the opportunity we had to perform at…

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Local Business Leaders Join Tucker Middle's Principal Shadow Day

Business people and educators are collaborating in a one-day event at county schools.

Tucker Middle School is taking part in a county-wide event this Thursday, Mar. 29, set up by the DeKalb County School District and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. Shadow Day, as they're calling it, gives business leaders the opportunity to "walk alongside principals and witness the rewards and challenges of furthering student success," according to a statement from Joye Burton, spokeswoman for the DeKalb Schools Communications Office. Principals at 50 county schools are being paired with local business leaders for the one-day event, beginning at 9 a.m. "Each 'shadow' will meet with their assigned principal and his/her administrative team, then observe and participate in the principal’s daily routine," said Burton.  "Whether it is bus duty…

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Teacher in Child Sex Case Denied Bond

Almarcus Thomas will remain in jail awaiting trial.

A Tucker Middle School teacher accused of having sex with one his students was denied bond Tuesday and will stay in DeKalb County Jail until his trial, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution is reporting. Almarcus Dewayne Thomas, 42, a seventh grade teacher and head of the school's math department, was arrested Feb. 29 at his home in Lithonia and charged with four counts of aggravated child molestation and three counts of statutory rape. The incidents allegedly occurred in a classroom and at the girl's home, according to police. Thomas was placed on paid leave Dec. 22 after the girl's father contacted school officials. An investigation was undertaken by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit who said they found nude pictures of a 15-…

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Principal Explains School's Actions in Sex Case

"Your children's safety is our greatest concern," Kathy Cunningham says in a letter to parents.

Following the arrest Wednesday of a math teacher on sexual assault charges, Tucker Middle School principal Dr. Kathy Cunningham wrote a letter to parents in which she aimed to reassure them of the school's intentions. Almarcus Dewayne Thomas, 42, of Lithonia, appeared in court Thursday on seven counts of sexual misconduct with a fifteen-year-old girl, a student at the school. One of the charges - unlawful surveillance - involved the alleged videotaping of another girl. Police were tipped off on Dec. 22 by a parent and had been building a case against Thomas since then. Tucker Patch obtained a copy of the letter sent to parents. Below is a verbatim transcript: Dear Parents/Guardians: As part of our commitment to transparency, we regretfully…

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Kevin Madigan

10:16 am on Friday, March 2, 2012

Paid leave.   more ›