Contact: Ashley Tanks 770-210-5073

Jonesboro, Aug 28 - Today, Congressman David Scott made the following statement about Clayton County Schools’ loss of accreditation.

I am extremely disappointed that SACS has chosen to repeal the Clayton County School System’s accreditation and I urge an immediate appeal of this decision. Yesterday, a judge recommended that four board members be removed due to mismanagement of the school system. I call on the Governor to immediately remove these four board members who refuse to resign and immediately move to install new board members. Only a new functioning board can address the 9 mandates that the current board refuses to address.

This is a sad situation that could have been averted. All nine mandates dealt with mismanagement at the school board level and unfortunately the board chose inaction rather than to protect the interests of the citizens of Clayton County. The loss of accreditation was not due to the quality of students or teachers, test scores, level of funding, or academics.

Some could say federal policies could do nothing to stop the mismanagement. Nonetheless, I am working to identify any ways in which I can assist Clayton County in order to prevent the loss of accreditation from occurring. Earlier this year, I contacted the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education, as well as the U.S. Department of Education to alert federal officials of this crisis and I will renew those calls for assistance. I will help the new board in any way possible to build the top notch school system the residents of Clayton County expect and deserve.

Listed are the 9 mandates:

1. Establish a governing board that is capable of fulfilling its roles and responsibilities
2. Remove the influence of outside groups/individuals.
3. Enact and commit to an ethics policy.
4. Review all board policies. Train board members on policies.
5. Conduct a full, forensic audit of finances.
6. Conduct a comprehensive audit of student attendance records.
7. Ensure each board member is a legal resident of the county and is eligible to hold office.
8. Hire outside consultants with expertise in conflict resolution, governance and organizational
    effectiveness.
9. Appoint a permanent superintendent with the experience to lead the district. 

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