SACS Pulls Clayton Accreditation, Superintendent Vows to Appeal

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. -- Clayton County Schools Superintendent John Thompson became visibly emotional as he addressed the media Thursday afternoon after news that his school district had lost its accreditation.

"This is a sad day for this school district," Thompson said.

Mark Elgart, head of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, said the 50,000-student district met only one of nine mandates laid out in a February report. He said the district has known for six months that it would lose accreditation Monday if it didn't meet the report's requirements but only started work on the problems three months ago.

Thompson said the Clayton County School District would appeal the decision by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. "We remain determined and continue to work and will not rest until accreditation is restored.

Thompson lamented that the SACS decision had far reaching ramifications for Clayton County students. He characterized those students as innocent bystanders in the accreditation dilemma. "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure these kids get a fair shake," he said.

Losing accreditation means students who graduate from the district won't be eligible for some scholarships or admission to many colleges. It also could drive down property values in the county and hurt economic development.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools had given the district until September 1 to address nine mandates outlined in a scathing February report that called the school board "dysfunctional" and "fatally flawed." Clayton County has turned over more than 2,500 pages of evidence to SACS to prove it's fixing the problems.

A team from the association visited last week to review whether the 50,000-student school district had done enough to keep its accreditation and decided it had not.

Meanwhile, Judge Michael Malihi has ruled that four Clayton County board members should be removed for violating their oaths of office. Governor Perdue had asked the judge to look into complaints against Michelle Strong, Sandra Scott, Lois Baines-Hunter, and Yolanda Everett. All four were declared guilty of violating the state's open meetings law, violating the board's code of ethics, and breaking the public trust.

Thursday, Perdue issued an executive order ousting four members of the school board. Special elections will be held in November to replace Scott and Strong, while Baines-Hunter and Everett will be barred from running again -- they were up for election this year.

Students in Uproar Some Clayton County High School students are not happy about the news that their school system has lost its accreditation and reportedly acted out during school hours Thursday.

Students described a "riot" situation in the cafeterias of Mundy's Mill High School and Jonesboro High School after news got out that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools had pulled the Clayton County School Systems accreditation.

Clayton County school officials said there were incidents at both schools. One official described the incidents as food fights. Those officials would only say the situations were dealt with, but would not comment further.

No injuries, suspensions or property damage was reported.

The association issued a scathing report in February calling Clayton County's school board "dysfunctional" and "fatally flawed."

The Ramifications The loss of accreditation has long-range ramifications, all of which are considered disappointing by residents. First and foremost, students graduating from Clayton County schools will have more trouble getting scholarships and gaining admission to colleges and universities. The HOPE scholarship has been guaranteed through 2010, though.

Also, pre-K dollars could have been at risk, but Holly Robinson, Commissioner of Bright From The Start, which administers the state's pre-K programs, said that money will be protected and that Bright From The Start will monitor the situation.

Property values, already declining in Clayton County, may also decline further as individuals shy away from buying homes in a non-accredited school district.

Many residents are upset, and all of them are wondering: how long will it take to get the accreditation back, and what will the process entail?

Voters helped with one of the recommended changes, choosing three new board members in recent elections and voting on three more come November.

Residents also say they will attend more school board meetings and stay more involved.

The Commission could have voted one of three ways: retain accreditation, revoke accreditation, or put the school system on one-year probation. Clayton County is familiar with that last one, having been on probation five years ago.

The Clayton County school district serves 50,000 students.