A national accrediting agency said Friday it will be a struggle for Clayton County schools to hold on to its accreditation, but the district remains optimistic in its fight to improve.

On Friday, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools gave the 52,800-student district until Sept. 1 to overhaul the system. If not, the district will lose accreditation and students will no longer be eligible for HOPE scholarships and will find it harder to get into some universities. This year's graduating class would not be affected.

That would make Clayton the first district in Georgia to lose its accreditation and only the third in the nation in the past 20 years.

The National Accreditation Commission will review SACS' findings and vote March 15 whether to strip Clayton of its accreditation.

"It is my belief that they will affirm the recommendations set forward and Clayton County will have their accreditation revoked as of Sept. 1," said Mark A. Elgart, president and chief executive officer of SACS..

Interim superintendent Gloria Duncan declined to answer questions, but said in a statement the district will work to "aggressively develop a comprehensive corrective plan."

"We are confident that Clayton County Public Schools will demonstrate full compliance with all standards," she said.

SACS outlined nine strict requirements for the district — many that are similar to the problems that landed the school system in trouble five years ago, which also led to a SACS investigation.

"What makes this unique is the fact that it has occurred again in a relatively short period of time," Elgart, said. "You wonder three years ago if the matters were comprehensively acted upon or just hidden."

In the past 20 years, only two school districts — in Hartford, Conn., and Duval County, Fla. — have lost accreditation.

"We are hopeful that the sanctions will be short-lived," said Eldrin Bell, chairman of the Clayton County Commission. "I do not believe in the long run this will have a decided economic impact, but it certainly has the potential of far-reaching implications to our entire county."

Glenn Brock, the district's attorney, said the board has already started work on SACS' requirements. He referred to recent policies set to limit interaction between the board and staff, along with a conflict of interest policy.

"The real issue comes to the ability to follow them," Brock said.

Elgart said he hasn't seen any improvement.

"They are not doing what is necessary for us to meet our concerns," he said. "Clayton County has an opportunity to take corrective action and take decisive steps to restore accreditation. The question will remain with each of them: Do they have the will to meet that challenge?"

Morrow father Larry O'Keeffe said several board members will have to resign to keep accreditation.

"The board will have to completely change the way it conducts its business," he said.

O'Keeffe also thinks a strict ethics policy, which he has requested from the legislature, will address the board's problems.

Board member Norreese Haynes, who was criticized by SACS for his work with a for-profit teachers' union, called the SACS report "a sham and a farce."

"The welfare of our children appears to be a low priority for [Elgart], despite his many 'I care for thy children' pronouncements," Haynes said in a statement. "We are a little too jaded in Clayton County to actually hang onto Mark Elgart's every word as if it were law and gospel."

Board member Rod Johnson said he thinks the district can turn around.

"I do feel we are at a point we can address some of the deficiencies," he said. "I do believe it will take a committed board to go forward."

Board chairwoman Ericka Davis, along with members Lois Baines-Hunter, Eddie White and Sandra Scott declined to comment. Board members David Ashe and Michelle Strong didn't return phone calls.

SACS began the investigation in mid-November after receiving complaints from five of the nine board members of unethical behavior by fellow members.

What investigators found, Elgart said, was troubling:

• The district does not have strict governing policies. And the polices in place are not followed.

"They have an ethics policy, but they have not enacted that policy when individuals on the board or staff have violated the policy," Elgart said.

• Inconsistencies with student attendance records. In response, SACS is working with the U.S. Department of Education Inspector General's office, which could revoke Clayton's federal funding if it finds evidence of wrongdoing, Elgart said.

• The district has failed to comply with local, state and federal laws, particularly bidding processes and conflict-of-interest statutes.

Specifically, SACS said:

• Haynes, who serves as executive director of the union Metro Association of Classroom Educators, voted for raises for union members and against companies that his union doesn't support.

• Johnson voted for a raise that would benefit his wife, a teacher.

• Strong voted to hire her husband, a graduation coach.

• The board never addressed allegations that board member Baines-Hunter may live in Fulton County. County Commission Chairman Bell said the tax commissioner and police are looking into residency issues.

• Scott pushed for a Morrow football coach to be fired after he refused to hand over game tapes of her son.

Haynes and Johnson denied the accusations, and Scott and Baines-Hunter wouldn't comment. Strong didn't return a phone call.

Some residents believe a new board is the answer. Residents in Scott's area have collected the names of 168 voters supporting a recall and are waiting for the Clayton County Board of Elections to certify the signatures.

Throwing out the board will not solve the problems, Elgart said.

"The board is a different board than they were several years ago. There is a history of concern," he said. "Many of the issues extend long beyond six months, long beyond a year or two years. It's reflective of a pattern."

Staff writer Eric Stirgus contributed to this article.