If there was ever a time for openness and transparency in government, that time is now for the Clayton County Board of Education. At the same time, the AJC owes readers aggressive and balanced coverage of the school district's accreditation crisis.

To the district's credit, the report issued by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is easily accessible on its Web site, along with a response to the report and answers to frequently asked questions.

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But a strongly worded letter from the state attorney general's office this week warns the school board about "knowingly" and "willfully" violating the Georgia Open Meetings Act.

"These are very serious allegations which, if true, could be both civil and criminal violations of law, calling into question the underlying validity of numerous actions of the board," wrote Stefan Ritter, senior assistant attorney general.

The board has been given a deadline of May 9 to respond to the complaint, which was made by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Acting school board Chairwoman Michelle Strong says the remaining board members are doing everything they can to conduct business in a public and professional manner. When the board has met in closed session, it has been on the advice of attorneys.

"Yes, we want to meet in public," she said. "When we go into executive session we're not talking about anything but personnel changes, tribunals and legal stuff."

Thomas Clyde, an attorney for the AJC, disputes that and says school board members have also not been following the proper process when closing meetings.

"The law says they have to identify specifically in the minutes why they are going into closed session, and they haven't been doing that," he said. "What they do is identify every possible reason they can go into a closed sessions and list those."

In addition, the board chairman is required by law to file an affidavit after every closed session, swearing that the closed session has been confined solely to the subjects allowed, Clyde said.

The law allows for public bodies to meet in closed session to discuss certain personnel and legal issues and real estate acquisitions. But board members and other elected officials must hear evidence and vote in public.

Clyde has also raised a complaint about the board's failure to notify the public 14 days in advance of hiring temporary superintendent John W. Thompson. Thompson and another candidate were identified as finalists, but the district later announced to the public that both had withdrawn. "The next thing you know [Thompson] is being introduced as the superintendent," said Clyde. "The 14 days in which the public gets to look at his credentials never happened. That process should have started all over again since he was a candidate again."

Strong maintains that everything the board has done is legal, based on advice received by then-attorney Glenn Brock, hired by the county to help with accreditation issues. Brock resigned immediately after the board hired Thompson, citing the board's "deceptive and unethical" behavior.

Strong believes media reports haven't reflected the strides the board has made. Thompson's hiring was critical step in the accreditation process, she said. "He is an awesome man with a great vision," she said. "His contract is just as standard as the previous superintendent's.

"It's so terribly stressful," she continued. "I teach in Fulton County, and my kids are very aware of what's going on out here. It looks like we are a bunch of crazy yahoos out here, and it's not the case. We are getting a forensic audit; we're trying to meet the mandates; and we're having good success. We're not fussing or fighting. I just want to help kids. I haven't been on the board a year and a half."

David Gibson, the AJC's senior editor in charge of the coverage, said the newspaper will continue to "aggressively pursue every angle we are aware of and to make sure that every time we write a story that we seek out each school board member for comment."

Clayton County reporter Megan Matteucci, along with reporters John Hollis and Eric Stirgus, have been assigned to look for stories that bring into question any action or policy as the board works to maintain accreditation. Gibson said reporters are looking for stories on the teaching and learning that is taking place in Clayton schools, but access to schools has been a problem.

Few issues are more important than students receiving a quality education. Parents have applauded the newspaper's coverage and urged reporters to keep digging.