Atlanta school board backs off request to attorney general

By Kristina Torres

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Atlanta school board agreed Tuesday to back off its request for an opinion from the state attorney general's office about a controversial policy change -- a reversal that came after the board met for four hours in a workshop about leadership and communication.

"My hope is, through honest communication, we can find a way to work together," board member Khaatim Sherrer El said.

Recent disagreements, made public through a series of 5-4 votes over the last two months, came to a head last week when board members clashed over a proposed change to alter internal board policy requiring a two-thirds majority vote to replace a board chairman or vice-chairman. If the change is finalized, it would take a simple majority.

The board's attorney said the change violated its governing charter, rendering it illegal. The board agreed to seek the opinion from the attorney general's office after Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed made a rare plea to do so as a kind of "cooling-off period." The board's vote Tuesday does not erase the issue. Rather, it signals an effort to try first to mend fences among members in-house.