DEL.ICIO.USClayton schools Q&A
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
After receiving concerns from parents and questions from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Clayton County school board released the following information Tuesday about the decision not to appeal the district’s accreditation loss.
• Photos: Timeline of Clayton schools' woes• AJC editorial: Less hope
- Read the full report to SACS:
• Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Large PDFs) - Read SACS' report (PDF)
Q: What are Clayton’s options?
A: The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked the district’s accreditation effective Sept. 1, saying only one of nine improvement mandates were met. SACS gave the district 10 days to request a fresh look at evidence school officials submitted documenting work on the mandates.
Q: What would it have cost the district to appeal?
A: The initial cost would be $10,000. That does not include court costs if the district lost the appeal.
Q: Why did school officials decide not to appeal?
A: The district can not submit new evidence and would “likely not win” the appeal. The appeals panel would only be able to uphold the decision to yank accreditation, or remand the decision back to the same commission that unanimously voted to revoke accreditation.
Q: What are the benefits of not appealing?
A: The decision to not appeal will enable the board and school officials to work hand-in-hand with SACS to develop benchmarks and a timetable to regain accreditation. The goal is to meet SACS’ nine mandates by the end of the school year so accreditation can be reinstated and seniors can graduate with an accredited diploma.
Q: What were the negatives of appealing?
A: SACS and the district would have been in an adversarial relationship during the appeals process, preventing them from working together.
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