State Superintendent Addresses Clayton's Accreditation Loss

An AP story reported today that the Clayton County school system lost its accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

It's the third school district in the nation in 40 years to lose its system accreditation, the AP reported.

State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox released this statement:

"My immediate thoughts are with the students, teachers and
parents who are directly affected by this decision. The future of many
excellent students, especially those in Clayton County high schools, has
been thrust into turmoil by the actions of the very people who were
elected to look out for their best interests."

"I fully support Governor Perdue's decision today to follow Judge Malihi’s
ruling to remove four of the Clayton County School Board members. There
is now a window of opportunity for the new and remaining board members to
seek reinstatement of the district's accreditation within a year and I
hope they will commit themselves to fully addressing all of the concerns
raised by SACS. As new members of the Clayton County School Board are
seated, it is my hope they will commit to operating in full compliance
with the letter and spirit of all local and state rules, laws and
regulations."

"It is important for the public to know that today's decision reflects
solely on the actions of the Clayton County School Board. It is not
reflective of the many excellent educators and students in Clayton
County."

"Additionally, I hope today's announcement serves as a reminder to all
citizens just how important it is for a district to have a functional,
productive and professional school board. As we approach election day, I
hope Georgia voters will take the time to get to know their school board
candidates and choose those that they believe will best represent the
interests of students, teachers and citizens. The power is in your hands."

Maybe school board members across the state and country are taking note of this!

Heard of the "Guyland" Phenom?

Since I had a night assignment tonight and came in a little late, I had a chance to watch the Today Show this morning.

They had a segment on "Guyland."

Have you guys heard about this book?

Author Michael Kimmel theorizes that the passage from adolescence to adulthood for young men was once clear, but not anymore.

It used to be that by a guy's late teenage years and early twenties, they "put away childish things" and entered their futures as responsible adults.

But today, Kimmel says, young men drift casually through college and beyond—hanging out, partying, playing with tech toys. A more dangerous social world has developed, far away from the traditional signposts and cultural signals that once helped boys navigate their way to manhood.

More guys today live in a buddy culture, "unfazed" by demands of their parents, girlfriends, kids and jobs. Some men are even living at home with their parents longer.

You know what, I know some guys like this. It also makes me want to take away my 10-year-old son's playstation 2.

What Schools Should Do in Event of a Tornado

As I'm listening to the police scanner it's airing the National Weather Service's tornado warning advisory in Jones and Monroe County.

With tropical storm Fay bringing us rain and potential tornadic weather, here are some good tornado tips for schools.

Take students to a ground floor, with no glass windows.

Exit students out of portable classrooms ASAP.

Didn't know this, but large, open-span areas, such as gymnasiums, auditoriums and most lunchrooms, can be very dangerous even in weak tornadoes, and should not be used for sheltering people, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.

(Note, this photo shows kids hunkered down in the hallway near glass windows. Not Smart!!!)

SACS rules on Clayton Co. Schools Status this Week

The AJC reports today that SACS will determine this week whether or not Clayton County schools will lose its accreditation with their organization, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Let's hope they don't for students' sake.

If students graduate from a high school without SACS accreditation they can lose out on the HOPE scholarship and have a harder time getting into selective colleges.

It can make transferring to another high school hard too. Some high schools may not take their credits.

Let's hope for Georgia that the school board has cleaned up its act. If SACS takes away accreditation, Clayton County will be the first school district in the country to lose it.

That's a big black eye for our public school systems.

Clayton County was put under scrutiny last November for several school board meddling incidents, in which later caused at least five board members to resign or be forced out.

On the plus side, there is a state sponsored panel now making recommendations for school board members job duties as a result of this debacle.

The Commission for School Board Excellence meets next month to make their suggestions so that other school boards won't end up making the same mistakes.