Cobb County Schools has 30 days to respond to complaints that board members have violated accreditation standards, according to a letter sent this week by the accrediting agency.AdvancED, the parent company of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
SACS, which accredits Cobb and other Georgia districts, wants officials to answer allegations that school board members have eroded public trust in their ability to govern because of their actions in and outside of the boardroom.
Several of the complains center around the board's controversial decision to change the school calendar to a later start date. Other allegations are that the board violated Georgia's open meetings criteria, interfered with the system's day-to-day operations and that members lack required training.
"The allegations run much deeper than the decision relating to the calendar," said the letter, which was signed by Mike Bryans, state director for AdvancEd.
In January, governance issues caused the agency to put Atlanta Public Schools' high schools on probation. The agency will review Cobb's response to the allegations and determine if an investigation is warranted.
"The letter from AdvancEd indicates they have been contacted by members of our community regarding concerns about the actions of our Board of Education," said Superintendent Fred Sanderson in a statement. "AdvancEd has asked us to respond those concerns, which we plan to do within the designated 30-day time frame."
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