The principal who led Meadowcreek High off the state’s Needs Improvement list and worked to restore pride among students has died.
A spokesman for Gwinnett County Public Schools said Ladeadrick "Bob" Jackson, an educator for more than 23 years, left work sick on Monday and was taken to a local emergency room.
“He felt ill,” said Jorge Quintana, spokesman for Gwinnett Schools.
No information was released about the cause of his death. Parents and students who learned of his passing shared their grief on Facebook.
“This is very sad for the entire school system,” Quintana said. “It is a difficult time for the Meadowcreek Cluster and the entire GCPS family. Mr. Jackson worked very hard. He did a lot in the Meadowcreek Cluster. We will make sure that work continues. It is what he would have wanted.”
Meadowcreek’s area superintendent will work with school administrators to continue preparations for the new academic year.
Jackson came to Meadowcreek High about six years ago as the school faced corrective action to improve state exam scores.
In 2009, under Jackson’s leadership, Meadowcreek achieved Annual Yearly Progress goals for student performance. At the time, half of the school’s students were Hispanic and more than 84 percent of the student body was low income.
In a statement on the school’s website Jackson said of Meadowcreek: “I am very impressed by the commitment, hard work and dedication that all have shown toward continuing to make Meadowcreek High School one in which the focus is on learning …I am cognizant of the fact that quality instruction by teachers, accompanied by a commitment to learning by students, translates into gains in academic achievement. “
Jackson told the AJC in a June 2009 interview on Meadowcreek’s work to makeover its image that: "Our students can compete with any student not only in the state, but in the country. "
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