APS Put on Probation; Hall Vows to 'Secure' Status

The Southern Assocation of Colleges and Schools has put the Atlanta Public Schools on 9 months probation.

If APS does not address the concerns raised by SACS, it could end up losing its accreditation.

Arlena Edmonds, the PTSA vice president at Grady High, said Tuesday at a special APS board meeting that there is too much in-fighting among board members, putting students and staff at the schools at risk.

"As a parent, I'm very upset and I'm very disappointed that we elected board members who are supposed to have the better interests and concerns for our kids, but our kids are being punished," said Edmonds, who has two children at Grady. "They are going to have to look at themselves and say to themselves 'What can I do differently?'"

Loss of accreditation would be especially hard on high school students, who may have a tougher time getting into a good college. Students who graduate from high schools in non-accredited systems are also not eligible for many scholarship programs.

At a news conference that came on the heels of the announcement, APS Superintendent Beverly Hall pledged, "I will do all that I can to ensure our accreditation is secure."

When Clayton County schools lost accreditation a few years ago, many parents scrambled to get their children into private schools or public schools in neighboring counties.

Loss of accreditation would also be a blow to community pride and can lead to a drop in property values, which are closely tied to public perception of the quality of schools in an area.

"We are very upset, of course," said Anne McGlamry, parent of a Grady High School junior and former head of the Grady Foundation. McGlamry said around noon today that she was headed down the APS board meeting to hear details. "We are looking for appropriate leadership from the board."

SACS says the Atlanta school system must take six actions to avoid losing accreditation:

• Develop and implement a long-term plan to communication with and engage stakeholders in the work of the district and to regain the trust of parents and students.
• Secure and actively use the services of a trained, impartial mediator who will work with board members to resolve communication, operational and personal issues that are impeding the effectiveness of the governing body.
• Ensure that the actions and behavior of all board members are aligned with board policies, especially those related to ethics and chain of command.
• Review and refine policies to achieve the mission to educate students.
• Develop and implement a process for selecting a new superintendent that is transparent and engages public participation. The final choice of superintendent should be determined by more than a simple majority of the board.
• Work with the state of Georgia to address inconsistencies between the state charter for the school board and system policies.

Mark Elgart, the head of AdvancED, which oversees SACS, said the school board has until September to take steps to save the school system's accreditation.

"The high schools are still accredited and have a challenge before them, the opportunity and ability to proactively address these matters."

Atlanta Public Schools board member  Courtney English said Tuesday that "time is of the extreme essence"  and "the six recommendations, they contain no ambiguity, no room for compromise."

Patch reporters Amy Wenk and Péralte Paul contributed to this report.