School board approves hiring lawyer to read superintendent’s text messages
The DeKalb County school board voted Monday to authorize Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson to hire an attorney to read through her text messages before responding to an open records request.
The board voted 5-2, with one abstention and one absence, to approve the vaguely-worded motion to hire a lawyer.
System spokesman Jeff Dickerson initially interpreted the vote as authorization to hire a new general counsel, but later clarified that the board had approved hiring a lawyer to separate Atkinson’s work and personal text messages before responding to an open records request for them. Only the work-related messages are subject to disclosure, he said. He did not elaborate on the nature of the messages or the reason they were sought.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
