Clayton Accreditation Decision Near

JONESBORO, GA -- It's been nine months coming and the decision is expected any day now. November of 2007 was when the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools began investigating whether to lift the accreditation of Clayton County Schools.

SACS launched their probe following complaints from school board members about micromanagement and possible unethical conduct by other board members. In February the accrediting agency voted to take away the system's academic credentials by September first if 9 corrections weren't made.

Since then, the 50,000 student system has been mired in controversy with calls for the entire school board to step down, a few resignations and elections to replace some board members. Students, parents, teachers and the business community, especially the real estate industry, have complained about how they've already been impacted by the threat.

Clayton County's School Board hired Dr. John Thompson in April as an interim superintendent to help save accreditation. Last month the system turned in a 2,300 page report to SACS claiming to have made the 9 corrections and Thompson has routinely predicted success.

This week 40 SACS members will vote on whether to lift the accreditation, let it stand or possibly put the school system on probation for a year. Because the September first deadline is Labor Day, their decision is expected by the end of the week.

If Clayton loses its accreditation, it could be harder for students to get into college or obtain scholarships. They will still be eligible for Georgia's HOPE scholarship until June of 2010 thanks to last minute action by the state legislature.

But the district could lose pre-kindergarten funds, teachers could lose benefits if they transfer to other systems and their recertification training may no longer count.

If the worst happens, Clayton County would be the first school system in the nation to lose its accreditation in nearly 60 years. This is the second time in the past 5 years that it's been threatened thanks to the school board's conduct.