The National Accreditation Commission is expected to ratify a recommendation Saturday that Clayton County's accreditation be revoked Sept. 1.

"It's a checks-and-balance in our system," said Jennifer Oliver, spokeswoman for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. "We anticipate the commission will support the recommendation to revoke the school system's accreditation."

Allen Sullivan/AJC (ENLARGE)

Parents like Linda Smith of Jonesboro feel they must consider options: Move to another district, enroll their child in a private school or home school their children as the district is in danger of losing accreditation.

Allen Sullivan/AJC (ENLARGE)

Sharmesia Smith, a 17-year-old junior at Jonesboro High School, works on the Internet at home.

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To keep its accreditation, Clayton must meet nine mandates to overhaul the district before September.

"We're going to do everything we possibly can to protect the accreditation of the school district," schools spokesman Charles White said.

But many parents of the district's 52,800 students aren't so confident. Many are reviewing their finances and looking at their options: move, pay for private school or home-school.

Relocate

Name: Linda Smith

Occupation: Vice president, Deposit Operations Bank of Atlanta

Children: Daughter, Sharmesia Smith, is a 17-year-old junior at Jonesboro High School.

Benefits: Her child would attend school in an accredited county, making it easier to obtain a HOPE scholarship and get into college.

Negatives: A depressed housing market means Smith likely would not be able to sell her home quickly. Smith said she'd "just about" made up her mind on leaving the county school system.

What she says: "Sept. 1 is too late to make a decision on your kids. I want her out of the school system now."

Private school

Name: Bridget Harris, 16

Occupation: Junior at Jonesboro High School with a 4.0 GPA, member of the award-winning mock trial team and the Clayton Student Coalition, an accreditation activist group.

Benefits: Her family is looking at sending her to Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School to salvage her HOPE scholarship.

Negatives: With ambitions of law school, Harris' family has a long line of tuition bills ahead and the Clayton native wouldn't graduate with friends.

What she says: "It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't my senior year. We're supposed to be together."

What her mother, Regina, says: "We don't want to not put her in position to receive what I consider an award for her hard work — HOPE. It won't be an issue of can we afford private school. You just figure out a way when it's your children."

Home-school

Clayton officials say they have received dozens of phone calls from parents wanting to know how they can home-school their children. While interest may have increased due to the accreditation issue, home-schooling has been a long-standing option for Clayton parents.

Georgia law requires parents to submit a letter of intent to the area superintendent within 30 days of setting up a home school. Students must receive at least 4.5 hours of instruction daily. Parents also must submit attendance records each month to the area superintendent and an annual progress report.