Last December, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) released a statement declaring that DeKalb County schools were placed under “Accredited Probation.”
After hearing this shocking news, Dunwoody High School students and teachers experienced a period of chaos. We heard that our accreditation was threatened as the DeKalb County School Board scandal unfolded. Parents were frantic and prepared to remove their children from school. Students were devastated and felt betrayed while teachers feared the fate of their jobs. The community was shifting to find solutions to a battle we could not fight alone.
The senior class remains blanketed in calm after hearing that our diplomas will, in fact, be accredited. This means that we can attend the colleges we choose without fear of having offers revoked.
However, seniors do worry that younger siblings and other students will be adversely affected if they stay in county schools. They worry about the school board’s historically irresponsible money habits.
Reactions to the risk of district-wide accreditation loss varied among underclassmen. Some students say the board should have been reformed sooner. Some are more aware and concerned than others about what’s going on around them. Thinking ahead, some freshman worry that their ability to gain admittance to good colleges will be hindered by the district’s troubles. Other say most freshman don’t care about all that for now. As juniors, they predict their classmates will be more plugged in to planned changes that will be in effect by then.
Still others question the quality and quantity of resources, such as equipment and technology coming to Dunwoody High School as a result of cutbacks.
Students at our school and others across DeKalb County are being unfairly punished for the school board’s past incompetence. The Georgia governor recently named new board members to replace some of the previous ones. Yet this doesn’t automatically restore the community’s trust in the system.
We as students work hard to perform well in school and to pursue our futures beyond graduation. However, students are the ones whose futures are being jeopardized, but for what? Where is the justice? It is difficult for us to find trust and comfort in a system that has failed us.
DeKalb County officials must listen to the community. Some classrooms still lack proper textbooks and students still have limited materials and resources needed for learning. We need teachers and administrators who are qualified for the positions they hold, and who also care about our success.
