Petition To Oust DeKalb School Board Gains Momentum

Less than two weeks after being placed on probation, the DeKalb County School Board is now the target of an online petition calling for their removal.

CBS Atlanta is reporting that the petition has already received hundreds of signatures, including one from Tucker resident Jan Mixon, who said, "in light of recent developments, this might be the best approach. The loss of accreditation would have a tremendous impact not only on our schools but also on our property taxes. We want to keep DeKalb County strong."

DeKalb resident Grace McKenna began the online petition, calling on Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to replace the entire school board.

On Dec. 17, the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools (SACS) placed the school board on probation until December 2013. 

"There is significant and irrefutable evidence that the DeKalb County School District is in a state of conflict and chaos,” said SACS Chairman Dr. Mark Elgart. "This failure to govern effectively has resulted in a decline in student performance, financial mismanagement, and lack of integrity and ethics in recruiting, appointing and evaluating personnel at all levels of the school system."

The Georgia Department of Education must meet within 30 days of SACS report and make a recommendation to Gov. Deal on how to proceed. Under a new law, Deal has the authority to replace the school board.

Read reaction from parents in Stone Mountain and Lithonia on DeKalb schools' probation.

Do you believe the governor should replace DeKalb's school board? Share your opinion in the comments section below this article.

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