The Atlanta Public Schools ethics commission is investigating claims that school board chairman Reuben McDaniel meddled in the decision to not approve an employment contract for Amy Durham, who taught language arts at North Atlanta High and resigned in October amid allegation of institutional racism at the school.

McDaniel has said he met with parents groups several times, at their request, to discuss their concerns about the school’s administration, and he relayed those concerns to APS administrators. In October, superintendent Erroll Davis removed six North Atlanta administrators, sparking an outcry from parents and students.

McDaniel said Thursday: “I’m pleased to have a conscientious ethics commission looking at this charge, and I feel confident they will find there was no impropriety or inappropriate involvement on my part.”

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Uta Thomas picks up her son, Jax, during a public hearing in Atlanta on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. She implored the school board not to close Dunbar Elementary. 
"You would centralize education to decentralized families," she said. "You would break apart a community hub." (Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat gives a tour of Fulton County Jail in  2023. (Natrice Miller/AJC 2023)

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC