Members of up to five school boards -- including Atlanta's -- could face hearings next month on whether they should be suspended from office, the state Board of Education was told Wednesday.
A new law requires the state school board to hold a hearing to consider suspension with pay for all members of any local school board that is on accreditation probation on July 1 from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the state's main accrediting agency.
As of April 28, when Gov. Nathan Deal signed the law, the Atlanta school board and school boards in Appling, Coffee, Randolph and Warren counties were on probation, one step short of losing accreditation, said Brad Bryant, attorney for the state school board.
All of the school boards, with the exception of Atlanta's, are in the process of being reviewed by SACS, meaning it's conceivable they could be taken off probation by July 1, Bryant said. Atlanta was placed on probation in January for board member in-fighting and won't be re-evaluated until September.
As of July 1, the state board will have 10 to 30 days to conduct the hearings whether to to recommend suspensions to the governor.
The governor has an unspecified time to decide whether to follow the board's recommendation. Once he does, any board member who is suspended has 60 days to appeal.
In cases where local board members don't appeal, the state school board, in consultation with the governor, would make temporary appointments to serve the remainder of the ousted members' terms.
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