DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The state is taking a step toward fixing some of the problems students and staff face at DeKalb County Schools. The Georgia Department of Education said it's hiring Dr. Tanzy Kilcrease, the outgoing Chief of Staff of the Bibb County School District, as a Special Appointed Adviser to work with DeKalb Schools on the issues identified in their Corrective Action Plan.
It will also be her job to work on "solving systemic operations issues throughout the district," a spokesperson for the Dept. of Education said. This will be in addition to their facilities team’s work with the district.
DeKalb Schools have been in the spotlight after students at Druid Hills High called out leaders for unsafe and unsanitary conditions at its school. A group of students produced a video to show mold on the walls and bathrooms that are completely unusable.
Since then, the district's superintendent was terminated; an interim was named in the meantime. Students at another school also came forward to say their school had sewage leaks and mold as well.
Documents also show the county is overwhelmed with schools in poor condition. Hundreds of pages of reports document crumbling buildings and worsening conditions after a district-wide assessment in 2020.
Kilcrease is expected to coordinate efforts between the district and the state and provide oversight of the action plan. She will assess current operations make recommendations, and monitor the progress of changes.
She will also help create a District Rapid Response Team to address additional facilities issues identified by students and stakeholders.