An Atlanta middle school once linked to the district’s massive cheating scandal will be renamed when it reopens as a college and career academy.
The former Walter L. Parks Middle School will now be called the Atlanta College and Career Academy at the Dr. Michael S. Maze Campus. The school board on Monday unanimously approved the change.
Some residents had wanted to see the Parks name preserved to continue to honor the legacy of a businessman and civic leader who was an early champion for the southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The new name recognizes Maze, who until his death a year ago served as Atlanta Public Schools' director of career, technical and agricultural education programs.
Maze had advocated for the creation of the new college and career academy, which will train students in career fields ranging from nursing to construction and culinary arts. In its move to rename the building after Maze, the board had to waive a policy that requires the district to wait five years after someone has died to name a building after them.
“It is our hope … that the entire Atlanta community and our students will embrace the college and career academy to honor Dr. Michael Maze,” said Eshé Collins, the board’s vice-chairwoman who led the naming committee that voted 4-3 to recommend the Maze name.
The college and career academy is scheduled to launch this fall after the district completes a $11.9 million renovation project, paid for with nearly $9 million from sales-tax revenue and a $3 million state grant.
The remodel includes adding lab space for students studying automotive and aviation fields, as well as a new culinary arts kitchen and other building upgrades.
The former Parks Middle School was among many district schools involved in the cheating scandal about a decade ago. Investigators determined that educators cheated by correcting students' answers on state tests, and the middle school's former principal was among those who pleaded guilty and testified in court in 2014.
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