APS Placed on Probation

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.

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.

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.

It also could make it harder for the state to recruit business and industry since quality of public schools is one factor in corporate relocations and expansions.

The threat of losing its accreditation is another black mark on the district, which is still reeling from and in the midst of an ongoing investigation into alleged widespread cheating on standardized tests.

"I want to make this absolutely clear: Retention our accreditation is a top priority,"  Khaatim Sherrer El, chairman of the Atlanta Board of Education said Tuesday, following a nearly 90 -minute special meeting of the board to discuss SACS' probation.

"Because the academic standing and reputation of the district is at stake."

He also said the board will reach out to its counterparts in neighboring districts and study Clayton County's handling of its SACS woes to avoid making similar mistakes.

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."

El, the board chairman, sought to reassure parents the board will do what it takes to address those concerns.

"We are carefully reviewing the report to ensure and reassure our parents, students and staff and the public at large that nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing will stand in the way of us successfully addressing the six recommendations provided by SACS today," he said.

Outgoing APS Superintendent Beverly L. Hall underscored those sentiments, pledging "I will do all that I can to ensure our accreditation is secure."

Parents who attended the special meeting said they were tired of the board's in-fighting and personality conflicts that seemed to have festered at the expense of the district's 50,000 children.

"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," said Arlena Edmonds, who has two children at Grady High, where she is PTSA vice president. "But our kids are being punished."

The board, she and others said, is squarely to blame for the situation.

"They are going to have to look at themselves and say to themselves 'What can I do differently,'" Edmonds said.

Despite the problems, many parents held out hope the issues SACS cited could be addressed and resolved.

"Am I surprised at the result? No," said Abby Martin, who has children at Grady High and Inman Middle School.

But it can be fixed, she said if the board keeps its "focus on the six things that SACS has outlined and away from the personal issues.

"We don't have a choice."