DeKalb ignores failings of schools

By now, certainly many of you have read the opinion piece written by DeKalb parent, Lynn Deutsch. Maureen Downey posted it for discussion on her "Get Schooled" blog, and now it rests on the opinion pages of the AJC. I think Lynn did a very good job of painting the picture of our dysfunctional school leadership. I pray our teachers and staff can hold out for a while longer until strong, new, progressive leadership can be placed to move us forward. The kids can't wait much longer.

DeKalb ignores failings of schools
By Lynn Deutsch

Today marks the first day of the school year for more than 95,000 students in DeKalb County. For the second school year in a row, the year begins without a permanent superintendent. Criminal trials are pending for the system’s previous superintendent and chief operating officer on racketeering and corruption charges.

Although interim superintendent Ramona Tyson has made some much-needed structural changes, without a strong permanent leader in place, students return to the classroom without the stability and instructional vision they deserve.

The academic performance of students in the DeKalb district is dismal. Only one-third of all DeKalb schools made “adequate yearly progress.” Thirteen of the 19 traditional high schools have been assigned “needs improvement” status because they have not qualified for AYP for too many years. Worse, the actual test scores for students paint an even grimmer picture.

In nearly every subject and each grade level on the CRCT, DeKalb students scored the lowest or near the lowest of all students in metro Atlanta. Tellingly, in 2002, African-American students in the DeKalb system scored 17 points higher on the verbal/math sections of the SAT than the national average for African-Americans.

However, by 2010, African-American students in the DeKalb system were scoring 25 points lower than the national average.

Over the past 15 years, I have been actively involved as a parent of students in the DeKalb system as well as an observer of the politics and policies involved with educating our students. Tyson is the first DeKalb superintendent to admit publicly that these scores are unacceptable.

Very few school board members have shown the same courage.

Donald McAdams, president of the Center for Reform of School Systems, wrote, “When a school district fails to improve, it is not the district’s workforce that fails; it is the board that fails.”

Current and past DeKalb school boards have failed the students whom they are charged with educating. The board oversees an annual operations budget of more than $800 million, nearly 100,000 students and more than 13,000 employees.

Yet, academic achievement goals are almost never discussed at DeKalb school board meetings. At any given point, most board members could not answer the question “How are students doing in DeKalb?”

Given the bleak academic picture and the multiple crises the system has faced, it is hard to understand how the DeKalb school board has so badly mismanaged the search for a new superintendent.

Nearly 18 months have passed since Tyson was appointed interim superintendent. There has been ample time and opportunity to bring in a nationally respected turnaround expert to begin the process of fixing this broken system. The obvious efforts, by at least some of the board members, to sabotage the selection process make it clear that some do not want to move forward.

Indeed, the monthly mantra of most of them is look elsewhere; nothing is really broken in DeKalb.

With far less drama, expense and time, Fulton and Cobb schools managed to hire new superintendents, and the Atlanta school system hired a strong interim. Although it has had this task on its agenda longer than those other systems, the DeKalb board has failed to hire a new superintendent.

The adults in DeKalb County also have failed the students. From the majority of the members of the DeKalb House legislative delegation, who refused to pass legislation to overhaul the DeKalb school board, to the county commissioners and CEO who ignore the connection between poor schools and rapidly declining property values, there are virtually no civic leaders demanding change.

In fact, due to the intertwining of the power bases of DeKalb, most remain silent because the status quo works to their benefit. Most parents in DeKalb remain oblivious, often because they believe it is the other schools that are bad or simply because they aren’t aware of the magnitude of what is really happening.

And voters in DeKalb, like voters everywhere, pay little attention to school board races and the consequences of those elections.

There is virtually no pressure being placed on the school board members even as our system is failing thousands of students and jeopardizing their futures. The powers that be remain deafeningly silent.

Things are clearly broken in DeKalb. The school board must hire either a permanent superintendent with a proven track record of improving student achievement or a corrective superintendent with a proven capacity to restructure an organization, recruiting top-tier people to reverse the achievement slide.

Only by hiring such a person and changing their behavior to allow that person to lead can board members begin the long process of reversing the academic declines to restore confidence in the school system.

From AYP status to SAT and CRCT scores, DeKalb’s data show the depth of the problems in the system. Leadership, both civic and corporate, has to admit there is a problem and call on the board to take the necessary steps to improve the system.

Finally, parents and voters must become and remain vigilant during this critical time and hold board members accountable. DeKalb’s children deserve better.

Lynn Deutsch is a parent of three, one of whom is a DeKalb County student. She has served on numerous committees at the local and state level, including the Citizens Planning Task Force and the Master Teacher and Academic Coach Implementation Committee.

Claudia Keenan - education historian

Do any of you follow the columns in the Patch written by Claudia Keenan? I hope you do. Claudia is one of the most interesting people. She holds a doctorate in the history of American education from New York University and writes very informative stories about DeKalb schools and education in general.

The most recent story is an eye-opening historical perspective on Medlock Elementary School, where as it turns out, Decatur School Board member and former PR and Communications officer for DeKalb Schools Julie Rhame was a student. (Julie was a big loss to DeKalb in the recent round of budget cuts.)

I urge you to read this enlightening perspective highlighting the racial desegregation and its associated pain for young African-American students.

A Story About Medlock Elementary
Medlock Elementary School opened in 1955 and remained all-white for its first 14 years. Two alumni share their memories of integration.

=====

Below are links to a few more of Claudia's columns. Watch for her reports. She brings a very balanced, informed and well-researched perspective to the table.

The World Comes to DeKalb Schools
DeKalb County is the nation’s fourth largest receiver of distressed, foreign refugees. The DeKalb County School System educates 85 percent of those who come to Georgia each year.

International Families Flourish in DeKalb Classrooms
Refugee and immigrant families in DeKalb County receive support from a variety of philanthropic and educational organizations. The public schools provide essential services for children and parents as they experience resettlement. 

Heated School Issues Resonate Across a Century
DeKalb parents might be fired up about potential school closures and redistricting, but educational challenges like these are age-old issues. 

Getting Involved and Improving Your Child's Education
As DeKalb County residents react to possible school closures and reassignments, PTA leaders are in the forefront. They face other, long-term challenges.

Desperately Seeking Superintendents
As local school systems search for new superintendents, will candidates come from within Georgia, from the field of education or elsewhere and with many or few credentials?

The Business of Education
Business leaders, foundation officials and legislators search for superintendents who are great managers, not educators. A century ago, superintendents were educators with brilliant administrative skills.

DeKalb's Public Schools this Summer: Up or Over the Hill?

As the end of the 2011 academic year comes to a close, DeKalb is poised to spring up the hill to revitalization or to roll over the last hump on the way down to final devolution. The  next few months will see the arrival of a new superintendent, the presentation of the "2020 Vision," and the possible reapportionment of the Board of Education districts and number of seats.

I think most of us are looking for the new superintendent to be the system's "savior" during this period of deep change. Who ever ends up on the throne at what has pejoratively become known as "The Palace," they will need to make the most of the momentum they'll have this year. Even if we end up with an extraordinary leader, I wonder if our communities are going to be part of the positive change or part of the regressive problem.

As we enter into this most critical four months for our public system, and on the eve of the announcement of a new superintendent, I would like to share with the community the following blog entry that was shared with me by the principal of Seqouyah MS, Ms. Brittany Cunningham.

I think it captures some very cogent points for us all to keep in mind as we engage in our efforts to help the new superintendent and Board of Education position our system for a brighter future. I encourage everyone to question every assumption about the past and every convention that we have clung to and consider them anew. If we do not do this, we are risking being part of the problem rather than the solutions we'll need.

Reprinted article from: http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/four-things-to-stop-in-order-to-fuel-momentum/

Four things to stop in order to fuel momentum

By Dan Rockwell

 

Photo by: Greg Newington

Stalling and stagnation are normal; persistent progress and forward momentum exceptional. Stop pretending, complaining, avoiding, and limiting in order to fuel progress.

Stop Pretending
Stop pretending you want change when in reality you want comfort. Usually comfort and change run contrary to each other. Backward facing leadership takes less effort, less courage, and less creativity.
General Shinseki wisely observed, “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”
Your best option is growing comfortable with constant change.

Stop Complaining
Complaining is comfortable self-confirmation. In the short-term it’s fun and provides the façade of power. Complaining is joyfully easy. Change is deceptively difficult; easy to talk but hard to do.
Creating is courageous disruption and dangerous self-expression. Occasionally, complaining may instigate change but it won’t sustain it.

Stop Avoiding
Forward facing leaders always encounter conflict, resistance, arm chair quarterbacks, disagreement, fear of failure, and more. These are powerful reasons that some use to avoid pressing into the future.
In addition, forward movement and uncomfortable conversations go hand in hand. You cannot and should not avoid them.
Conflict, resistance, and the rest can’t validate or justify your direction. However, they are evidence of movement. Face, embrace, and learn from them.

Stop Limiting
Complex problems have more than one solution.
Perfecting solutions is a fault-finding process. You bombard an option with imagined scenarios and anticipated problems looking for faults. There’s value in the process but it won’t create a perfect response to high-potential opportunities. There’s more than one.
Analyze, investigate, evaluate; then pick one solution and perfect it as you go. Searching for one perfect solution before pulling the trigger slows progress and drains momentum.
Momentum requires courage, focus and fuel or it cools. Which of these things can you stop today in order to keep moving forward?

Civil Disobediance for Higher Education?

This is a mistake, a really big mistake. I should keep my mouth shut.

I'm already pilloried in some quarters for advocating for the students of Cross Keys High School attendance area. A well understood secret is that some of the resentment coming my way is due to the fact that a percentage of these young people are either illegal immigrants, a.k.a. undocumented students, or have family members who are in this category.

The "immigration issue" has been heating to a boil for many years. It is boiling over now partly due to the economy slowing down, partly due to a spurt in xenophobia, and partly due to the very large population growth among undocumented immigrants (do you prefer "illegal aliens?" ... that's ok.) in our midst. I also believe it also is boiling over at this time because we are seeing 2nd and 3rd generation illegals and a minority group feeling empowered by the 2010 Census results.

Don't misunderstand me, I do think we have a really big problem on our hands with our borders and immigration policies. However, I don't think there are any easy solutions and I think too many want to ignore the real complications. Our current, ridiculous state is the result of decades of neglect by our leaders and the full weight of the serious issues involved is now bearing down on the shoulders our children.

In this writing, I'm narrowly addressing the issue of public education as it relates to these realities. The more large and ugly debate about immigration reform and illegals in our society is for another forum.

These are kids who are 100% American in their upbringing, interests, education, tastes, and dreams but who are also here undocumented, ok ... illegally. They have the same expectations and hopes as their more papered peers at our public schools. One thing they do have in perhaps greater measure than their peers is pride and courage.

I see this every day in the young people I have the privilege of meeting at Cross Keys, Sequoyah, and the five elementary schools feeding into them. In the elementary schools, I see in the young faces the same things I see in all children in our community - silliness, wonder, energy, excitement, hope, and sometimes sadness. Their older siblings at the middle and high school navigate through the same troubling and exhilarating processes of adolescence as every other kid in this most-blessed country.

But I have noticed a change in the older ones over the past two years or so. They are more discouraged, more despairing, and troubled about their future and the future for their younger brothers and sisters. Things that they may have taken for granted or glazed over at the ages of five, or eight, or twelve are now staring  them square in the face - how will you complete your education? If you leave the country for education, will you be separated from your sisters forever and miss their quinceañera, their first date, or kiss or car?

Many of the undocumented students are Mexican by cultural heritage but make no mistake - this issue is not limited to our amigos hailing from Mexico, Central America and South America. We have families from every continent on the globe making their way into the USA without papers. So what do we do with their children? Year after year, and now generation after generation, our public schools have encouraged them to educate themselves and chase their own piece of the American Dream.

The have spent their entire lives elevating their minds and aspirations through education only to discover that they are no longer welcome in much of our country and now in Georgia unwelcome in many of our schools. Closing off avenues to public universities has slammed the door shut on many of these young people who want to finish their education in Georgia and become productive members of the community.

And then today, I saw this video. A group of graduates staged a protest on April 5th at Georgia State University by blocking the road. Seven of them were arrested. The first one arrested appeared to be wearing the bright yellow cap of a Cross Keys graduate. Her name, ironically, is Georgina. These types of demonstrations are increasing in frequency and in volume all over the country. My reaction was, "How tragic and how beautiful!"

These young people are disrupting traffic to demand access to higher education! What the hell? I wish all of our young people had this level of dedication to educating themselves or the courage and passion to fight for their siblings and their futures, too.

But then again, perhaps I'm just making a really, really big mistake ...

Has Tom Bowen lost his mind?

Prepare for flameout.

In addition to setting agendas and running board meetings, chairpersons also have the responsibility of appointing committees and their chairs. Tom Bowen, recently voted as Chairman of the DeKalb County School Board for a second term, is about to appoint his committee chairs. Bowen has recommended the following members to the Budget, Finance and Facilities Committee.

Jay Cunningham, Gene Walker, Donna Edler and Don McChesney.

And Jay will be the chair.

I kid you not.

Jay Cunningham. The very same Jay Cunningham who pled guilty to stealing money (over $12,000) while working as a manager at McDonald’s.
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/dekalb-school-officials-record-690212.html

And his ethics were called into question for selling pizza to schools.
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/table-appears-set-for-558491.html

For more on Jay’s financial woes, read this article at the Champion News online.

"Financial problems plague school board member"
http://www.championnewspaper.com/news/articles/780financial-problems-plague-school-board-member-780.html

According to court records, board member Jesse “Jay” Cunningham has at least 15 open court cases against him—most of which involve payroll garnishments to pay creditors. Of the cases, four were filed between 2002 and 2007, five in 2008, one in 2009 and five last year. In addition, there are seven cases involving Cunningham that are listed as “closed.”



The garnishments in the open cases exceed $173,000. Records show that his board member check has been garnished by Ford Motor Credit in seven of the open cases. As a board member, Cunningham is paid $23,400 annually.



Other organizations bringing garnishments against Cunningham last year include Delek US Holdings and Mapco Express. Delek is the parent company of Mapco Express, a convenience store. Money from these checks has gone to pay garnishments by Georgia Receivables, a collection agency attempting to settle a debt from Nice Cars Inc.

In addition, it appears that Jay has a slight problem controlling his temper.
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/dekalb-school-officials-record-690212.html

In the more recent allegations, Cunningham was accused in 2008 by a male friend of his wife of punching the man in the head outside a church on one occasion and of pulling a gun on the man on another occasion. In a separate allegation, a DeKalb school parent told police she believed Cunningham threatened her at a meeting of cheerleading boosters in 2009. Police wrote reports on all three of the alleged incidents — the reports were obtained by the AJC — but Cunningham was not charged in any of them.

And what about Gene Walker? Yes, this is the same Gene Walker who took a $20,000 campaign donation from the Sembler Corporation when running for school board, while also serving on the DeKalb Development Authority, the same Authority that Sembler was requesting over $50 million in tax credits, 60% of which come from the school taxes and would need to be confirmed by the school board. Worse, Walker failed to report the donation until after he won the election.
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/officials-failing-to-disclose-320745.html

DeKalb County school board member Gene Walker, for example, raised about $20,000 in 2008 from campaign donors associated with the Sembler Co. as it sought a multimillion-dollar tax break from another county board that Walker chaired. Walker disclosed those donations two days after winning the school board seat.

Yes, the same Gene Walker who while serving as a state senator, was charged with sexual harassment of an employee, a charge that the state settled for $190,000. That’s $190,000 of the people's money.
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=165732

The sexual harassment lawsuit pending against state parole board member Gene Walker isn't the first time he's been named in such a case. The Associated Press has learned that the state quietly paid $190,000 a dozen years ago to settle the first lawsuit in which Walker was accused of sexually harassing a secretary.

Tom Bowen, in appointing people with such hideous financial records to a finance committee has obviously lost his ability to protect the interests of the DeKalb County School System. Could it be time for a recall? Enough is quite enough.

PROPOSED STANDING COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/meetings/viewmeetingOrder.aspx?S=4054&MID=18321

Budget, Finance and Facilities
[C] Mr. Jesse ‘Jay’ Cunningham
Ms. Donna G. Edler
Mr. Donald E. McChesney
Dr. Eugene P. Walker

Business, Community and Government Relations
[C] Ms. Sarah Copelin-Wood
Ms. Nancy T. Jester
Mr. Jesse ‘Jay’ Cunningham
Dr. Pamela A. Speaks

Instruction and Board Policy
[C] Dr. Pamela A. Speaks
Ms. Sarah Copelin-Wood
Ms. Nancy T. Jester
Mr. Donald E. McChesney

The vote on the committee assignments will be tomorrow at 11 am.

Millions more down the tube

The AJC is now reporting, "Sloppy paperwork, missed deadlines cost DeKalb schools millions".

Sloppy paperwork cost DeKalb County schools $25 million dollars last year and almost cost millions more again this year, officials said.

The mistakes caused the state Department of Education to revoke $11 million in construction funds and temporarily withhold another $14 million, according to records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. DeKalb taxpayers ended up paying for the $14 million in construction projects with sales tax dollars, which could have been used for other purposes.

Further, the district’s rocky relationship with the state almost cost the troubled school system another $27 million this year.

“We lost more than $20 million last year because of sloppy paperwork on behalf of the school district,” school board member H. Paul Womack said this week.

Read the rest at the AJC link above.

One more quote first -

The only reason the school system didn’t make the multi-million-dollar mistake again this year was because State Rep. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) intervened, securing a special extension that ended up bringing the district $27 million in state funding, Womack said.

Thank you Fran.

Another Open Letter to the Board

A letter from Shayna

Please allow me to share my thoughts. In June of 2008, I decided to run for a position on the DeKalb County School Board. I made this decision because I cared about kids and about the education of all 100,00 children in Dekalb County. I naively believed that the School System was about educating these children. I think that I now understand that the System's priorities are more about maintaining jobs and programs and that education is a by-product. I believe this and share this with you because I am frustrated about the decisions being made at the local level.

My research shows that if you were to compare the size of the System now to when Dr. Brown left, you will find that the number of children enrolled in the System had been increasing and showed a bump in 2005 due to Katrina. If you look at the size of the System when Dr. Lewis took over and now, enrollment has steadily decreased to an October, 2009 FTE count of 97,958 to our current reported enrollment at the state's DOE website of 97,907.*

However, you look at past and present organization charts (if you can find them) you would find that the central office has grown tremendously since Dr. Brown's departure. Maureen Downey at the AJC reported that DeKalb has the highest number of employees per student by far of any metro school system. At 157 employees per 1,000 students, DeKalb is wildly ahead of Cobb (144/1000), Gwinnett (113/1000) and even Atlanta Public Schools (115/1000)**. Further, the salaries of many of the employees in the central office over just the past few years has increased significantly. The ratio of central office staff to teachers, with staff currently outnumbering teachers by over a 1,000 is appalling -- and your proposed budget cuts will increase that disparity even more. Furthermore, just between 2007 and 2008, “General Administration” nearly doubled from $10.6 million to $20 million and “Improvement of Instructional Services” grew from $53.4 million to $56.9 million but “Instruction” itself barely increased from $631.4 million to $639.2 million.***

I campaigned on an issue that bothered me deeply: I have a problem with former principals, without a business background, in charge of pure business functions. I believe that it isn't a wise use of tax payer money. I believe this is simply a reward system offering an increase in salaries for former principals, without consideration as to how those principals would best serve our system as a whole. This leads me to conclude that the System’s priority has not been about educating kids -- because while this has been going on in the central office, the class size in the school house is increasing, buildings are not being maintained, the teachers are having their retirements cut or eliminated (possibly incurring liability for a law suit based on a failure to alternatively fund social security from a prior program worked out between the County and the teachers), they are experiencing furlough days and other situations of massive stress exist. This certainly has a negative effect on the children.


The priority must be on the children. The children only have one chance at a childhood and one chance at their eduation. Many of our kids don't have adults in their lives who are responsible beyond their teachers for role models. Many of the kids will hit a point where they will make a choice to either get their education or to take some alternative and, for many, that alternative will ultimately lead to gangs and jail. There are already gangs in many of our Middle and High Schools. This results in criminal behavior. That crime may be against you, me, your child, my child, your friends, my friends, our neighbors, etc. The unproductive citizens that these uneducated children become cost society in terms of welfare, unemployment and other benefits that come out of pocket because you have made the decision to not take their education seriously and more importantly than the jobs of those in the central office.

The budget must focus on eliminating every unnecessary job and program, including America's Choice and similar programs. The very last place the cuts need to happen is in the school house and to the teachers who impact these children. They are your first and foremost responsibility -- they have this one chance and depend on you for their future. It may be that 30 years ago 38 of them could sit in a classroom all day. That is no longer the case. Have you seen a Lakeside classroom of 35? They can not move. You can't fit between the desks. The teachers can't hear themselves think. Kids figure out how to distract the teacher. The teachers have the kids grade each other's papers. The kids can't learn what they need to learn. They wind up failing a large number of their freshman class. Mr. Reed reported in his State of Lakeside address that 34.4% of freshmen received an "F" last semester. The classes are not homogenous. The teachers must differentiate the lessons. The teachers must comply with No Child Left Behind. They are supposed to meet AYP and pass the CRCT (at the younger ages). And now, they will have to teach more students with less planning time. None of this is as it was when the classrooms were stuffed to the gills in the 1970s and 1980s.

These kids are entitled to an education and a chance at a future. Don't leave them behind to protect adults who can ultimately get other jobs or return to the classroom to teach. Furthermore, the tax increase idea doesn't really work: there are too many foreclosures and equalization is still out there. More cuts need to be made to the central office and other areas outside the classroom. The budget cuts proposed by the committee hit teachers and students much harder than others. That is not only unfair, it is counterproductive to what should be the primary goal: educating each and every student to the best of your ability.

Thank you.

Sources:

*
http://www.gadoe.org/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=68&CountyId=644&T=0&FY=2009

http://app3.doe.k12.ga.us/ows-bin/owa/fte_pack_ethnicsex.entry_form

**
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/03/14/metro-systems-bloated-inefficient-and-unfocused/

***
https://www.audits.state.ga.us/searchRpts.html

Did you Know? DCSS has a pretty darn large police department all it's own

An Anonymous poster has done some research on the subject of police in our schools. Visit this link to download the detailed budget for support services (the police budget begins on page 157). The total budget for campus security for 2009 was $11,458,886. The proposed 2010 budget 'slashes' that amount to 11,084,805 and reduces the number of positions from 209 down to 203. The 2010 budget includes the same amount for canines and other /extra activities (gang prevention) - $95,998.

We have no issues with security, but wonder if they shouldn't feel the budget pinch at least as much as our teachers. There seems to be room for some sacrifice in this department.

We sorted our files to reveal the top salaries posted at Georgia Open online for DeKalb school security. The DeKalb police officers will be knocking down our doors to apply for these jobs after they read this. There are many jobs in the $30k range, however, the actual average is $45,437.

We're not certain what campus resource officers do in the summer and during the holiday breaks.

There are 13 people labeled "security officer" making over $70,000 in this department, with the top salary being $92,263.20, Twenty-one people make in the $60s, 49 make in the $50s and 26 in the $40s. The majority - 86 officers - make in the $30s.

Additionally, there are two directors of school safety:

WOOD-SHUFFETT, J M - DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL SAFETY $114,627.65

HANSON,JAMES E - DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL SAFETY $99,840.00

Anonymous shared that the department's total $11.3 million budget for 2010 breaks down like this:

2 Administrators (Directors)
5 Supervisors (1 Lieutenant, 4 Srgnt)
63 School Resource Officers
9 Detectives
4 Civilian (Secretary)
120 Campus Supervisors

Wow, that's a massive number. What metrics are used to measure their performance? 9 detectives? 4 secretaries?

I know for a fact that it is MARTA Police that are dealing with many of the problems with the Dekalb Aleternative School (which is out of control). it is MARTA Police who are picking up so many truant students from that school. The school police are nowhere to be found. 9 detectives? Seriously, what do they do!!!

Major League Operation, Minor League Management

DCSS is a billion dollar enterprise, a major league operation. But it is being run in a minor league manner.

The front page of today's AJC Metro section has yet another salacious DCSS article, this one about Harold Lewis, Director of Special Operations, Transportation Department, $107,000 annual salary, accusing Pat Pope of sexual harassment. In absoutely record time, the school system settled, with Lewis receiving a promotion and pay raise (Is Harold Lewis related to Crawford Lewis? We'd like to know.) Pope is still receiving her $200,000 salary a year while being demoted.

The most surprising part of this is the school system settling this in two weeks. I guess the Ron Ramsey-led Internal Affairs Dept. can move quickly on rare occasions.

This comes on the heels of the shocking news that the Crawford Lewis administration is refusing to work with the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, on an investigation the the Crawford Lewis administration requested.(?!) By the way, if I was an elected Board of Education member, I would demand that the Lewis administration cooperate with the DeKalb District Attorney, or face immediate dismissal. What does it say when the county school system refuses to cooperate with the county District Attorney (and Crawford and DeKalb DA Gwen Keyes are even Leadership DeKalb alumni!)?

School system says no to DeKalb DA

Why is DeKalb blocking probe that it requested?

This also comes on the heels on every local TV station covering the in school protest of teachers and staff wearing black in protest of the Crawford Lewis, with one station interviewing an unsteady, warbling BOE member Paul Womack.

Superintendent’s pay proving divisive

“I am going backwards,” (Crawford) Lewis said Wednesday. “I can’t continue doing this. I am not a rookie anymore.”

"I am a bargain for this board."

Dekalb Teachers Outraged at $15,000 Raise for Superintendent

"From [the teachers' point of view], it's unfair. I agree with that," said board member H. Paul Womack. "But you do what is in the best interest of the county and the kids."

What's that quote about the "inmates running the asylum"?

How does the school system expect to attract top talent with this non-stop barrage of self-induced negative media coverage? Talk to any DCSS teacher, and they'll tell you that the system is going to lose scores of experienced teachers who are tired of eSIS, schools with leaking classroom and moldy heating and air systems, silly e-mails about healthy chili recipes from the Central Office, and Gloria Talley's high paid but unproductive curriculum instructors. The Crawford Lewis demand for a raise was the final straw. We're going to have hundreds of teaching positions open, but top teaching talent won't be applying after doing a Google search about the system.

Now we hear the Crawford Lewis and his administration won't even cooperate with our county's DA Office? When will the madness end? What is it going to take for the Board of Education to make a management change?

Enough is enough is enough.

So, Dr. Lewis got a raise - what say you all?

From 11 Alive

DeKalb County teachers are upset that their superintendent is receiving a raise -- months after they received furloughs.

The DeKalb County Board of Educationapproved a $15,000 raise Monday night for Superintendent Crawford Lewis, who has held the position since 2004.

While many believe Dr. Lewis is doing a fine job, officials with the Organization of DeKalb Educators says he should not receiving any kind of raise when the teachers and other employees are not getting one.

"I just think, when you're asking everyone else to make sacrifices, it's not the time to be giving one person a raise," said ODE President David Schutten. "It's like Dr. Lewis and the majority of the school board are tone-deaf to what's going on."

The board approved the raise 7-1, with Eugene Walker as the one member who voted against it. Walker said by phone Dr. Lewis "deserved a raise, but the economy did not support it, and we should be focused on geting the 13,000 employees in our school system raises instead."

Click the 11 Alive Link for the rest of the story.

The School Board Needs To Make Decisions Based On What Is Best For the School System Now in the 21st Century

First - a little history. The courts supervised the desegregation of the DeKalb County school system for over twenty-five years. After the process of desegregation was deemed over, the school district still appears from time to time to be divided over race (Bates & Gagnon, 1996). This can be observed repeatedly by actions of the members of the DeKalb County School Board Members (Smith, 2009).

In 1968, several black high school students from DeKalb County, including Willie Eugene Pitts, and their parents in addition to four white students and their parents decided to file a class action lawsuit against Jim Cherry, the superintendent, and the entire DeKalb County school system. The complaint dealt with the county’s failure to integrate the school system as well as the failure to comply with the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare that was mandatory under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If the DeKalb County School System did not comply with this would result in the elimination of federal funding to the school (Bates & Gagnon, 1996).

In June of 1969, the courts ruled that the DeKalb County school system must be completely desegregated by the start of the school year in the fall of 1969. The court also ordered DeKalb County to redraw the school zones. The school system could not have any all black or all white school districts. All the black schools were closed in DeKalb County School System and over the years many policies and procedures were implemented to encourage integration such as busing, the Minority to Majority (M to M) program, the magnet schools for high achievers and other initiatives. In the early 90’s the Supreme Court allowed the Dekalb County School System to stop busing students and the court later dismissed the mandate due to the fact that the system had become a majority African-American. However, the school district remained largely divided in terms of race (Bates & Gagnon, 1996).

Even today, sadly, the DeKalb County School Board appears to remain largely divided in terms of race. Dr. Speaks read a statement last night indicating that she had been bullied by other board members to vote along racial lines on the issue of contracting a law firm. Dr. Speaks however will not vote on racial lines. Dr. Walker indicated last night also that he sees black and white. He went to an all black high school so apparently race does matter. Don McChesney also read a statement indicating the possibility of ethics being broken in situations like this. (IMO)

The issue was over hiring the most qualified attorney firm and saving the school system a great deal of money. The issue was discussed at a called board meeting last Monday. (On Common Ground News has a good report on the heated discussion). However, some members of the school board wanted the African-American attorney, Alexander and Assoc, who the county has had for many years in the past, which is part of the reason the county has such large bills to start with. The previous attorney’s office could not handle many of the cases so other attorneys were hired. It appeared to also be "warm fuzzies" verses getting the best attorney firm to represent the school system. The two attorney firms that represented us before had conflicts. Womack proposed hiring Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, LLC, a big firm downtown which had 400 lawyers who would do all the school systems work for 1.7 million dollars a year. According to Common Ground, "DeKalb County Superintendent Crawford Lewis, who was charged with negotiating the contracts, returned to the board with a figure of $2.4 million after reviewing bids from both firms. Lewis recommended that $1.5 million go to Sutherland and $900,000 go to Alexander. But Womack said Sutherland would be willing to do all of the work for a flat fee of $1.7 million."

In the end, the votes were not there and Jay recommended that the the two groups get together and see if together they would share it for 1.7 million dollars. The two groups did get together and will do it for 1.7 million dollars. However, there are still many who question if the decision of the group based their decision on race and warm fuzzies and were willing to pay an extra $800,000 just to hire the other attorney on the side.

DeKalb County is home to some of the finest leaders in the state. However, some Dekalb County School Board members continues to be stuck in the past. Could this be due to the age of some of the school board members? Could age not matter at all with other school board members? Could this be just because of the history of the Dekalb County School System? Regardless, should decisions of the Dekalb County School System be based on warm fuzzies and race? What is wrong with the picture here? Regardless of our race, our disability, our religon, should we all in Dekalb County not ban together and do what is best for our children in Dekalb County? For the Dekalb County School System to move into the 21th century do we not need to make decisions based on what is best for the school system now?

Pope Debacle Continues

Check out the latest report on the investigation into Pat Pope's office at Atlanta Unfiltered today. Many of you may recall that this investigation formally began in December of 2008 as the school system police and IT department stormed Pope's office, taking various files and computers. Dr. Lewis said at the time that he would know more "next week" as he turned the findings over to the DA. Now, the DA is saying perhaps in May of 2010 - about 18 months later. The DA describes the situation as ‘complex and enormous’. Uh oh.

An American Story Right Here in DeKalb

We were recently directed to an article written by Jamie Gumbrecht and posted at her blog about her visit to the International Community Charter School in DCSS. It's amazing to think that within our DeKalb County School System is this charter school full of promise - the genuine original promise of what it means to come to America. The video highlights a story of two boys - one born an American and one a Burmese refugee - who became fast friends at the International School. The school suffers great challenges as it is comprised half of refugees and has no official school building. They struggle to meet their annual funding goal of $400,000. But amazing things are happening here - you may recall ICS student Genevieve Wilson who won a national poster contest for World Refugee Day and was flown to DC, stayed at the Ritz and was presented an award by Angelina Jolie! Her poster will be exhibited at the National Geographic Museum.

In addition to the article and video above written and produced by the New York Times, the school has been highlighted in the Christian Science Monitor with the story of "Little Bill Clinton", as well as the inspirational story, "Outcasts United", by Warren St. John (also the author of the NYT piece.)

We need to rejoice for this school, be glad in it - and support them in any way that we can.

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To make a donation to the school click here.

DeKalb Schools Recognized for Achievement, Improvement

We're happy to give credit where credit has been earned and announce the Georgia Achievement Winners - including 24 DCSS schools - Congratulations!

Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Award Winners Named

State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox today announced the winners of the second annual Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Awards. Among the winners were 24 schools within DeKalb County School System.

These awards honor schools for high achievement and the greatest improvement on state curriculum tests. A certificate is being sent to the winning schools acknowledging their achievement.

"We are honoring schools that showed the greatest improvement and highest achievement on our state tests," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "These awards are just a small way of saying "thank you" for the hard work put in by our teachers, students and school communities. Congratulations to all the winners!"

The Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Awards are based on the performance of students on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT), the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT), the End-of-Course Tests (EOCT) and the state Writing Tests. These awards acknowledge schools in two categories:
• IMPROVEMENT: The 10 schools in each honored subject area and grade that had the greatest improvement in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards.
• ACHIEVEMENT: The 10 schools in each honored subject area and grade that had the highest percentage of students score in the ‘exceeds’ category.

Of the Improvement winners, Superintendent Cox said: "Moving the needle as quickly as these schools have takes collaboration, dedication and focus."

Of the Achievement winners, Superintendent Cox said: "These are the schools that have large numbers of students performing at the highest levels of achievement. This type of performance is the result of high expectations and hard work.”

The Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Awards are being handed out in the following subjects and grades:
• READING and ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS: Grades 1-8 Reading CRCT; Grades 2 & 6 English Language Arts CRCT; 9th Grade Literature EOCT (high school only); American Literature EOCT; English Language Arts & Reading GHSGT
• MATHEMATICS: Grades 1-8 Mathematics CRCT; Mathematics GHSGT
• SOCIAL STUDIES: Grades 4 & 8 CRCT; U.S. History EOCT; Economics EOCT; Social Studies GHSGT
• SCIENCE: Grades 5-8 CRCT; Physical Science EOCT; Biology EOCT; Science GHSGT
• WRITING: Grade 5 Writing Test, Grade 8 Writing Test, Georgia High School Writing Test

NOTE:
- Due to the roll out of the state's new curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards, the following categories are not being awarded: Algebra 1 EOCT, Geometry EOCT, Grade 4 Social Studies CRCT (improvement only; achievement is being awarded).
- Awards are given based on spring 2009 CRCT results. Summer retest results are not included.
- Only schools with 10 or more students taking the test in 2009 are considered for the award.

Award winning schools

Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT)
Achievement
Austin ES
Evansdale ES
Livsey Elementary
Kittredge Magnet
Oak Grove ES
Vanderlyn ES
Wadsworth Magnet
Improvement
Academy of Lithonia
DeKalb PATH Academy
Hambrick ES
International Community School
Peachcrest ES
Rock Chapel ES
Stoneview ES
Stone Mountain MS
Tucker MS
Woodward ES

End-of-Course Tests (EOCT)
Achievement
Chamblee Charter HS DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA)
Improvement
Clarkston HS DeKalb Alternative
Destiny Academy of Excellence Stone Mountain HS

Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT)
Achievement
DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA)
Improvement
DeKalb HS of Technology North DeKalb Alternative
Destiny Academy of Excellence

Georgia Writing Tests
Achievement
**
Improvement
Clarkston HS DeKalb HS of Technology North
Gateway to College

Related Links
Dekalb County Schools
GA Dept of Education

International Walk to School Day

International Walk to School Day is Wednesday, October 7th.

DeKalb County recently was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Georgia Dept. of Transportation for Safe Routes to School infrastucture improvements. I'm sure the DeKalb County School System is hosting a large number of Walk to School Day events on Oct. 7th. Please share your school's plans in the comments section below.

The day before, on Tuesday, October 6th, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, Decatur is hosting our 2nd Annual Walk to School Day Pep Rally, with games, music, prizes and special guests on the Decatur Square.

This link leads to a nice audio article on "walking school buses".

"Florida Town Tries Walking School Bus Project"

The iconic big yellow school bus is getting some competition from sneakers and sandals as a new way to get to class at Belcher Elementary in Largo, Fla. Kids and parents are teaming up in surrounding neighborhoods and walking to school together. The initiative aims to promote the healthier option of walking for both parents and children, while cutting down on vehicular traffic at the school.

Here's some more in on Safe Routes to School:
www.walktoschool-usa.org
www.dot.state.ga.us
www.saferoutesinfo.org

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Sent in by Dan Magee

Pay to Play?

What if sports budgets were completely "out of pocket"? West Essex school system in New Jersey has gone to a "Pay to Play" system for middle and high school sports. This school system has the second highest property taxes in the country and they found that this is the only way to keep the sports programs alive. Students on free or reduced lunch don't have to pay, however, for everyone else - it's Pay or Don't Play.

Arabia - Are they getting more than their fair share?

Kristina Torres wrote a column (press release) in yesterday's AJC titled, "DeKalb hopes Arabia becomes new model school". My stomach rolled. Model school for who? I am more than disgusted by the fact that so many millions ($53 I believe) went into this very special "magnet" school, when so many others are still either crumbling, aging, energy-wasting behemoths or over-crowded newer schools built for and full of "regular" kids. Arabia is the money-eating Pac-Man of pie charts - gobbling up more than it's fair share of resources per student - diminishing even the per student spending of DeKalb School of the Arts, DESA and Kittredge.

Arabia, in all it's glory, had to beg, borrow and steal in order to garner enough students to save face. I would challenge the powers that be to investigate each and every student's actual home address to ensure that the school is in fact, filled with DeKalb county residents. I wonder this, since the school is located in a little niche pocket way down in south DeKalb within 2 miles of the Henry and Rockdale county borders, yet over 25 miles from Lakeside, Druid Hills, Tucker, Dunwoody, Cross Keys, Avondale, Stone Mountain, etc - virtually inaccessible to a majority of county schools. Arabia is the Hail Mary pass made by Crawford Lewis to hide the fact as reported by Torres that, "Only 30 percent of DeKalb’s 22 high schools met federal testing goals this year. It was 39 percent in 2008." He is just certain that this crown jewel will cover the hideous failures elsewhere.

As we have reported here, Arabia was built and approved with the stated intention of alleviating over-crowding at near-by schools (all under 5 years old) - Martin Luther King, Jr HS, Lithonia HS and Miller Grove HS. However, in the end, Crawford Lewis and his leadership team deemed this school far too special to serve as just another neighborhood school, so they created several "magnet" programs within the building (in addition to the 500-600 allotted slots for locals). They did this in spite of the fact that Southwest DeKalb high school is a coveted (over-crowded) magnet school about 5 miles away. And still - all three of the aforementioned schools remain overcrowded and on the list for additions using SPLOST 3 funding!

Now we have reports from students at Lakeside that they don't have Environmental Science textbooks because all of theirs were sent to Arabia. Lakeside has overcrowded, large classes - some of which are being held in the cafetorium. Chamblee HS has a textbook shortage and well, we all know the story about the horrible condition of virtually everything at Cross Keys. I gasped when I read about Arabia's white boards connected to the internet -- and then shed a tear for Cross Keys "wipeboards" - the old white things all stained and cracked from years of use.

DCSS hates it when we shed light on the condition of Cross Keys, Lakeside, Chamblee and others along with the empty promises made to these communities - but I say - if you want to stand in the sunlight and take all the glory for the beautiful Arabia HS - then you also have to stand at the gates of the ghetto and take responsibility as you lay your eyes on the truth of what so many others have to endure under your leadership. Leadership whose motto seems to be "the best of everything -- for some."

Meanwhile, back at the Board of Education meeting...

Well, after the suspense leading up to Obama's speech today at noon, this meeting was a pretty dull ending to the day. The speakers all did a really nice job, but there weren't many of them. Kim Gokce spoke about an unusual topic - Cross Keys High School! (Good job, Kim!) He reminded us all to join him at the Waffle House for the dedication of Abu Bangura's jersey on SAT, SEPT 26 @ 2:00pm. Several very articulate moms advocated for recess. (One of them was a doctor.) They brought research to back their claims and suggested text for an amendment. Click here to sign their online petition. What Girl Scouts - very prepared!

As for the rest, I think I'll copy Kim's style and just bullet-point the whole thing.

• Three new positions were requested by Dr. Lewis and unanimously approved by the board: A new position has been created for Dr. Yvonne Butler as Executive Director, Corporate Wellness Program. Dr. Butler is a former Principal at Browns Mill Elementary School. Mr. Steve Donahue was promoted to Executive Director, Plant Services. Mr. Donahue is the former principal of Peachtree MS. And Mr. Tony Hunter was appointed Executive Director, Management Information Systems (MIS). Mr. Hunter is currently employed as Director, Management Information Systems (MIS).

Two things: If good principals are so hard to come by - why promote good principals into corporate jobs? And - why not actually hire someone with expertise in things like Corporate Wellness and Plant Services to fill those jobs instead of filling them with people trained in education?!! Sigh.

• Marcus Turk says our funds are low because property tax bills went out late. He says we will be on track when all is collected. Mr. Womack asked if we have money in a "rainy day fund", to which Mr. Turk replied, "Mr. Womack, it's been raining pretty hard for a while now."

• The topic of FTE's came up. Jay Cunningham questioned how we could allow some schools like Murphy Candler to have no art or music when others seem to have plenty. He said that some elementary schools are lacking a science teacher. Dr. Lewis pointed out that principals are free to spend their FTE's as they wish and that smaller schools cannot afford to employ art, music and PE teachers as each FTE equates to a $65,000 expense (including benefits). He went so far as to say that if we did that, we would be bankrupt in about 24 hours! However, Dr. Lewis suggested that 4 small schools can share a teacher if they use .25 FTE each. I think Jay has an excellent point and I think it could be time for the school board to step in and "redistribute the FTE's" so that every child has art, music and PE. This is just not right.

• Womack, McChesney and a couple of others requested that Pat Pope make all bids and offers available for them to review in her office before they vote on them at these meetings. She said she would but can't make them available to the public by law.

• Pam Speaks asked how we came up with the list of schools on the request for the state capital outlay. Pope said that the state makes that list themselves. Schools on the list are: Martin Luther King, Jr. High Facility Addition, Miller Grove High Facility Addition, Hambrick Elementary Facility Modification, Woodridge Elementary Facility Modification, Hawthorne Elementary Facility Modification, Glen Haven Elementary Facility Modification, Southwest DeKalb High Facility Addition and Modification

• The board deferred the vote on the requested waivers from the state because it was written for K-8 and the state has changed the form to K-12. They intend to request the following 5 of the 7 waivers sometimes allowed by the state when a system can show fiscal need:

Personnel Required
A waiver from this rule would allow DCSS some flexibility in employing personnel for positions according to the unweighted full-time equivalent (FTE) count that is shown on the midterm adjustment allotment sheet. Examples of positions listed in this rule are: school psychologists; social workers; school counselors; technology specialists; art, music, & PE specialists; and media specialists.

Minimum Direct Instruction
A waiver from this rule would allow DCSS flexibility in spending a minimum of 65 percent of the total operating expenditures on direct classroom expenditures or increasing the direct classroom expenditures as a percent of total operating expenditures by two or more percentage points over the previous fiscal year.

Guidance Counselors
A waiver from this rule would allow DCSS to waive the requirement that guidance counselors are engaged in counseling or guidance activities, including advising students, parents, or guardians, for a minimum of five of six full-time segments during the school day.

Class Size Waiver for K-8
A waiver from this rule would allow DCSS flexibility in complying with maximum class sizes and to capture FTE funds that would have been lost if a class was over the limit on the FTE Count Days.

Instructional Extension/20-Day Money
A waiver from this rule would allow DCSS some flexibility in providing an instructional program beyond the regular school day to address the academic needs of low-performing students.

Dr. Walker closed by saying that he was very proud of DeKalb County Schools for showing Obama's speech today and not bowing to public pressure as other school systems did. Jay Cunningham encouraged parents to join the school council and PTSA, to download the parent resource guide and enforce the dress code.

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All in all, I felt that although it was boring, it was still frustrating. It really bothers me to hear Dr. Lewis fret over the fact that a full time classroom teacher is a $65,000 expense (including benefits) and then turn around and promote people into high paying administrative jobs. It bothers me that this board plans to request a waiver of the law that requires 65% of the budget to be spent in the classroom and one that would put more students in each of those classrooms. It bothers me that in the area of curriculum, we have our Asst Superintendent of curriculum, Gloria Talley, with her salary of $162,648.00 - 5 directors of curriculum instruction at a cost of $438,500.00, 72 "Instructional Supervisors" at a cost of almost $6.4 million - plus 473 "Instructional Specialists" totaling $23.9 million, yet we have children who do not have art, music and PE teachers - they're entitled to one of each - they shouldn't have to choose. I am bothered by the fact that our superintendent and board seem to cry "poor" when it comes to funding the classroom, but can always find the money to bloat the administration. Our children deserve better.

Dr. Lewis at DCPC

I attended Dunwoody Chamblee Parents Council's meeting today at Dunwoody High School and here are my rough notes for those who did not attend. Others that may have attended should post items of note I missed in the comments.

Dr. Lewis changed the format of his presentation this time around and addressed specific questions that had been provide in advance. Here is a bullet point recap:

1. Workweek/Calendar: DCSS is keeping a 180 calendar but has prepared a list of non-school days that could be added to the schedule if some mandate comes externally. The example he gave was the Monday and Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving. DCSS wants to be prepared to act if mandated but has no intention of modifying the calendar at this point.

2. eSIS - The launch has been tough all around but the pain will be worth it in Dr. Lewis' eyes. He indicated that any major legacy system replacement is going to be painful and this one is no different. He did say that the training could have been better managed and timed.

3. Parent Portal - The plan has always been to hold back Portal launch until the teachers and system have mastered eSIS and have the data right. The plan is still to release the new Parent Portal in October.

4. Transportation Effiiciency - DCSS is projecting $4 million in savings for 2010.

5. Textbooks - looking at CD/DVD option but there are challenges to work out.

6. Arts/Music instruction - points available to principals will be more tightly managed and when a school leader has to choose between a math or science teacher and an art or music teacher, they're most often going to choose math or science.

7. Budget Cuts Status - hiring freeze is still in place and attrition has lead to 50 positions eliminated saving $3.3 million.

8. Comprehensive Restructuring Plan - DCSS is looking for up to $26 million in total savings by June 2010.

9. AYP - general success in improving ES and MS level, not so much in HS. McNair MS made AYP for the first time ever.

10. Principal apppointments - Dr. Lewis has been and intends to request the BoE support his efforts to select principals for schools. He feels he is best suited to identify the talent for the jobs.

11. eCommunity web site - He was very excited to announce a new web resource coming up by the end of September. He was very effusive about the amount of parent resources that would be available via this site.

12. Block Schedule - DCSS will make recommendations in November to BoE and plans to offer flexibility to schools.

13. School closings/Re-Districting - DCSS will make recommendations to the BoE in January for implementation by Aug 2010 that according to Pat Pope will, "... hit every areaa of the County ..."

14. Pat Pope hired a Planning Director to oversee the planning process for the system (wow! this could be really good news!)

That's all I have for now - please add your own commentary!

A Flu Update - What you Need to Know about H1N1 (aka the Swine Flu)

We have received many questions about the Novel H1N1 flu virus (formerly known as the Swine flu). The H1N1 flu continued to spread over the summer in camps and schools. In the southern hemisphere, which is in the middle of its flu season, it emerged as the most common cause of the flu.

H1N1 symptoms are very similar to seasonal flu symptoms and may include fever over 100°, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. It is expected that most people will recover from H1N1 without needing medical care.

The spread of Novel H1N1 virus is thought to occur in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or by contact with contaminated objects, such as occurs when a well person touches something that is contaminated by flu droplets and the contaminated hands are brought to the mouth, nose or eyes. (Flu virus can survive minutes to hours on surfaces).

Most cases of H1N1 have been mild, but there have been hospitalizations and deaths-just as there are every year with seasonal flu. To minimize the impact of this virus in our community, it will be important to heed the advice offered by public health experts.

The DeKalb County School System is working closely with the DeKalb County Board of Health (DBOH) and is receiving on-going guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) and the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE). The school district modifies its procedures in response to revised guidance from these agencies.

What can you do to prevent the flu?
The key is to stringently follow sanitary measures to reduce the spread of germs.
#1. All persons are encouraged to frequently wash their hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Hand sanitizers are currently being placed in DeKalb County schools and other district facilities. The Lakeside PTSA is in the process of purchasing hand sanitizers that can be placed in every classroom at Lakeside. Encourage your child to wash their hands often, especially after coughing or sneezing, and to make use of hand sanitizers.
#2. Cover your cough/sneeze by using a tissue (and properly discard) or your sleeve if a tissue is not available.
#3. Do not share personal items such as drinks.
#4. Parents/Guardians should monitor your child for flu-like symptoms. Students, faculty and staff who appear to have a flu-like illness upon arrival at school or during the day will be isolated in a room away from others. The parents of students will immediately be called. Persons who appear to have a flu-like illness will be sent home.
#5. Get vaccinated. The CDC, DCH and DBOH encourage citizens in high-risk groups, such as school-age children to get vaccinated against seasonal and Novel flu viruses. The vaccine for H1N1 is anticipated to be available in mid-October.

Those with flu-like illness should follow the following exclusion period recommendations:
#1. Stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, without use of fever-reducing medicines and regardless of whether or not they are using antiviral drugs.
#2. Those who are sick should stay in the home during this period, except to seek necessary medical care, and should avoid contact with others.

How can you help?
#1. Keep your child home if he/she has flu-like symptoms and follow the guidelines provided above.
#2. Support prevention efforts by educating your child about proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. Discuss with your child ways of staying healthy and the importance of staying home when they are sick.
#3. Send in hand sanitizer and Kleenex for your child's classrooms. We encourage our Lakeside families to assist us in our distribution of hand sanitizers by providing additional bottles to your child's teachers.

If your child is home with the flu, remember that they may be too ill to study while they are recovering. Contact your child's teachers to explain why your child is home and to make arrangements to keep up with assignments.

Remember that there are many illnesses with symptoms similar to those of influenza. For example, a common cold or allergies can cause nasal symptoms and cough. If you have questions about your symptoms or feel you need to be seen because of symptoms, contact your healthcare provider.

Up-to-date information on H1N1 can be found on the CDC website.

For more information about the swine flu from the DeKalb School System, please click here.

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Many thanks to the Lakeside PTSA for this informative update!