Bloody Friday at North Atlanta High: APS kicks out old leaders, announces new ones without explanation.
UPDATED Saturday with a comment from principal:
Atlanta Public Schools ousted North Atlanta High School interim principal Mark MyGrant — enticed out of retirement by APS to run the school for three months until a permanent leader could be hired — in dramatic fashion Friday afternoon.
Not only is MyGrant gone, but APS replaced the entire leadership team at the Buckhead high school, reassigning them throughout the system.
In a 30 minute telephone interview today, MyGrant detailed Friday’s events:
Deputy Superintendent Karen Waldon and the interim HR director, accompanied by APS security officers, showed up at the high school at dismissal Friday, intercepting MyGrant as he was about to make the end-of-the day bus announcements. He said he was told to pack and leave North Atlanta High School immediately.
Teachers were assembled and then told that the entire administrative team and the heads of the Small Learning Communities — specialized areas of student interest including arts, journalism, international business and international relations — were being reassigned.
“I was at work when Karen Walden and the interim HR director came in and informed me that my services were no longer needed. I asked if I should move the buses and they told me ‘no,’ that I should leave right now,” said MyGrant. “They started bringing in loads of security and the transition team and they called the teachers to the auditorium. I just gathered my things — l didn’t have much because I had already cleaned out my office when I retired in June.
“Within 15 or 20 minutes, I was done,” said MyGrant. “They didn’t walk me out. Security may have been waiting to walk me out, but I walked out the back door, got in my my car and and went. I would have been happy to leave any time. I was retired. They had announced a new principal. They did not need to do it this way.”
MyGrant is willing to talk about what happened because he wants to clear not only his name, but those of all the educators reassigned Friday. (No word yet from APS.)
“I would be happy to ride off into the sunset. But with all these administrators, hardworking administrators, being reassigned, people are going to say ‘God, there must have been something really corrupt there.’ I owe it to them and myself to let people know there wasn’t anything.”
Meeting with his attorney later today, MyGrant is prepared to present evidence that this episode grew out of what he considers politically motivated and baseless allegations that two of his recommended hires – a graduation coach and English teacher — were racists. “I feel when the community gets the information that I am prepared to present, they will demand the educators who were reassigned be brought back,” he said.
“Regardless of what anyone thinks of my leadership, many other hard working educators were treated unfairly yesterday. Including Melissa Gautreaux, Reginald Colbert, Laura Brazil and John Denine. I was very excited in June to retire and had some exciting plans, which I put on hold after being contacted by APS three times to return. This followed a very botched first attempt to hire a principal in June. In the meantime, students will return to school next week after a fall break to celebrate NAHS Homecoming. This group of kids is a terrific mix of students from all walks of life and are led by a hardworking group of teachers. I wish them all the best.”
He detailed the history of the allegations in an email:
In August I was contacted by Deputy Superintendent Karen Waldon on 3 separate occasions reporting anonymous allegations alleging that I was planning to fire a employee leaving for maternity leave, and was hiring two new teachers that were “racist.” I did all I could do to investigate these claims with the very limited information I received, but one of the teachers never got processed and the one that signed a contract and is currently working has never been approved by the board. Her name was taken off the gains report in August and didn’t return in September or October. I tried for weeks to get answers from the very top on down, but was completely stonewalled. In September, my attorney sent an email to Errol Davis detailing my concerns and asking about the investigation. Later in September, I received from Davis a letter informing me that I was not part of any investigation. An open records request was sent to APS last week from one of the teachers in question. I was asked to submit documents related to this case and prepared approximately 25 documents.
MyGrant retired in June from North Atlanta but was asked by APS to return to oversee the school until the end of October when a permanent principal would take over. Prior to his retirement, MyGrant led North Atlanta for five years and Sutton Middle school for 10. He was a well respected principal in the Buckhead community.
A letter on the North Atlanta High site from APS school chief Erroll B. Davis offers parents no explanation for the sudden removal of MyGrant and the mass reassignment of school leaders, saying only that the high school underwent a “total leadership transition.”
The letter lacks the obligatory expression of gratitude to MyGrant for serving as interim, clearly indicating that this was not a pleasant parting. (You can read the letter and a news story on the high school’s newspaper, the Northerner online.)
Davis says the former principal of Sarah Smith Elementary, Sid Baker, will run the show until the new North Atlanta principal, Howard Taylor of Gwinnett, officially takes command on Oct. 29. Davis also lists eight other “transition” academy leaders and a transition assistant principal.
The dramatic removal of MyGrant has upset many parents, some of whom are contacting the AJC with their questions and concerns. Among the comments from parents:
Today at the closing bell our beloved principal and most of his leadership team were escorted out of the school by a group of APS staffers from downtown. Just three weeks before the end of his contract and two weeks before our IB accreditation, Mark MyGrant and his staff were publicly humiliated in front of teachers and students alike. The “party line” is the new principal wants a clean slate. There’s a lot more to the story than that. What is the real agenda? Obviously, no one is thinking about the disruption this will cause for our children and our IB program.
Parents are asking how Davis can gut the leadership ranks of their school, march in a brand new team of temps and expect the community to support the decision without more information.
Davis closes his letter to North Atlanta parents by saying, “We understand that this will be a time of excitement, as well as a major transition at NAHS…”It’s a new day at North Atlanta.”
The problem may be that parents won’t think it’s a better day.
The AJC will be following up on this situation. I have sent a note to APS for a comment. If I get it, I will post.
–from Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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359 comments Add your comment
NAHS c/o 05
October 8th, 2012
11:44 am
As a former NA & and sutton student, I would like to say that Mr MyGant is not a racist. However I did notice that there were certain families/parents in the school that he catered to a little bit more than others but overall he was well liked everywhere he went.
Also I always wondered what happen to Dr Smallwood. She was a great teacher. Someone should look into her comments.
No one has commented on the fact that something is wrong with NA and how they can’t keep a principal for more than 5 yrs since 91.
No one has mentioned NAPPS, who has a lot of power in the norhside dr, mt paran community and who also had a stake in north atlanta losing its performing arts magnet back in 04. I’m sure they had something to do with this.
Finally I would like to say that I was an PA/IB student that later dropped out of IB because it was a joke and didn’t prepare me for college.
CB
October 8th, 2012
12:08 pm
Dr. Gene Taylor is a wonderful educator who goes the distance for ALL children. He has worked so hard for the children and community in Lilburn. Many people in GCPS are very sad to see him go, but we know that he will be a wonderful asset to North Atlanta HS. While the current upheaval has so many people upset, I truly hope the people there will give him a fair chance to do his very best. I know that you won’t be disappointed! Best of luck to you, Dr. Taylor!
Cissy
October 8th, 2012
12:09 pm
Something stinks in this group expulsion. The treatment of these administrators was ridiculously overdone and clearly was meant to intimidate. What did they expect the “escorted out” teachers and administrators to do, pull out guns and start shooting? I really hope some lawsuits result from this embarrassing example of AHS-style “management;” I’m pretty sure that will be the only way we’ll really find out what Dr. Davis et al. intended by pulling this stunt.
And I see that the usual cast of angry, jealous, they’re-all-rich-except-me parents and former parents has offered up their assessment of the situation: Everyone else is racist. Really helpful, TCCB. I really hope your children got a better education than you apparently did… of course, if you taught them at home that “they’re racist” is the answer to all of life’s frustrations, they didn’t stand much of a chance.
To all you parents who want to find out what happened, and who really care about NAHS, your concern gives me hope for public education. I’ll be cheering for you from the sidelines, where I pay my $17,000.00 in Atlanta/ Fulton Co. taxes every year so that at least some of Atlanta’s children can have a chance of getting a decent education in a school where some parents still care enough to bake brownies..
A former student
October 8th, 2012
12:29 pm
Mygrant did so much for NAHS. When I was a freshmen it was so ghetto. In three years he and the admins team transformed that school. He got more students involved and just made it a great place. He made NAHS is today and it needs to stay that way. APS is a joke and they need to get out of office. All of them.
North Atlanta Mom
October 8th, 2012
12:34 pm
“As a former NA & and sutton student, I would like to say that Mr MyGant is not a racist. However I did notice that there were certain families/parents in the school that he catered to a little bit more than others but overall he was well liked everywhere he went. ”
Yes, this is true. Everything seems fine until you have a problem and realize that you are not from one of the families that the administration cares to help or even bother to answer an email or return a phone call from.
teacher
October 8th, 2012
1:00 pm
reverse racism is rampant at APS. That is no secret.
Perhaps the best way is to let the elite buckhead schools in APS wither away…let the buckhead parents and non-buckhead parents who want a world class school system send their kids to elsewhere.
I think APS needs to fail and gutted from scratch and rebuilt again.
North Atlanta Mom
October 8th, 2012
1:03 pm
@ teacher
Sincerely hope “teacher” is not really in charge of educating young fragile minds.
Tavius Elder Jr
October 8th, 2012
1:41 pm
This is extremely disturbing and upsetting. Talk about unfair and and super shady. I need answers!!! These were some of the most influential educators in my life amongst thousands of others!
2011 Graduate
October 8th, 2012
1:43 pm
Do you realize how crazy some of you all sound. I was a part of the class that Mark Migrant transitioned from Sutton to North Atlanta with and I saw how much better NAHS got as a result of Migrant and all of the administrators. It was like night and day and anyone in my graduating class could attest to that. The student involvement was up more kids were actually going to college and the overall environment was much happier at the end of Migrants years as principal.For example look at what colleges the graduates of this time at NAHS are attending there are several Warriors at ivy league schools and other great schools. This comes from the great support that we got in our application and choosing time from the administration. One administrator ,who retired last year, wrote me a rec letter that was so nice that my mom framed it. Also to infer that anyone in that school is racist is completely wrong everyone was given the same opportunities and was treated exactly the same. Notice how most of the students who went to NAHS during this time are on Migrants side.
APS High Schools in Practice
October 8th, 2012
1:56 pm
@TCCB. Do you remember a few years back the Morningside Elementary School PTA lead a takeover of their school that resulted in the newly appointed principal “retiring”? That was also a topic in an AJC blog.
Lots of PTAs have parents who are on it for their own kids and could care less about the poor, below-grade-level kid whose mom or grandmom works every day. Reading the organization’s mission statement should be mandatory before each PTA starts its meeting might be helpful.
Overreaching dysfunctional parents and community members exist at all APS high schools. They imbed themselves at many different levels. The Local School Council, college zone and career centers (this is where the uber volunteers swoop up the best opportunities for their hand-picked set), counselor helpers, teachers aides, booster club presidents and even some civic associations.
There is lots of opportunity at the high school for parents to exert pressure beyond parental engagement. Some of these parents are staunchly against charter schools. If you look at their antics of running the school by strong-arm or stealth tactics, they really want charter schools. They have no confidence in APS or their principals and believe their non-educational post-graduate degrees qualify them to run their neighborhood schools as a de facto charter school.
Some of those parents would do the Atlanta Public Schools a favor by moving to private school where they can pay for the privilege of selecting the racial and economic characteristics of their kid’s class. They won’t though because their kids would not be the big fish in the private school pond like they are in their local urban public high school.
This should matter to private schools because they play the inner city public school card and snatch scholarships away from your kids who have worked ten times harder and likely are more well prepared for college rigor.
NAHS parent
October 8th, 2012
2:08 pm
@ Mom for Education – Just an FYI – I was curious and looked up Atlanta demographics from the 2010 census. At that time, City of Atlanta was 54% African American, 38% white (a huge increase from 2000 apparently). In what is called the “Buckhead” areas, white population ranges from 75-91% white. The larger “Metro-Atlanta” area, from which candidates are likely pulled, was 55% white in 2010. Neither agreeing or disagreeing with you. Just a little fact checking.
If there is any reverse discrimination at APS, it looks like we’ll have a good chance of finding out — this mysterious teacher and her lawyer may file suit.
NAHS Alum
October 8th, 2012
2:08 pm
I do not know all the details but I can say without question that Mr.MyGrant is a wonderful man and an excellent principal and APS had no right to treat him like that after him coming out of retirement to help their unprepared, political-driven sorry selves. He gave 110% all the time and always put the safety, education and concern of his students first.
I also have no idea why you would re-distribute such wonderful teachers without giving an explanation to at least the students that depend on them. I do not know Ms. Brazil but I do know Coach G, Mr.and Mrs.Colbert and Mr.Denine and they are the very definition of great teachers. They are wonderful role models, wonderful people and excellent teachers that have given years to their students while expecting nothing but their best efforts in return.
I cannot believe APS and Mr.Davis thought that this was acceptable behavior or that this set a good example to the students affected by this move.
What happened at North Atlanta High? - City-Data Forum
October 8th, 2012
2:10 pm
[...] We were also wondering what happened? According to the AJC, the principal and top administrators were not only abruptly fired but escorted off the campus. Mark Mygrant was well respected and had been asked to come back out of retirement to serve as interim principal. Bloody Friday at North Atlanta High: APS kicks out old leaders, announces new ones without explanati… [...]
Fritz Neumeister
October 8th, 2012
2:46 pm
Its this simple…….Mygrant was making changes for the community and not for Errol Davis. No direction will be considered correct for Errol Davis until this school is allowed to continue as a pre-prison program for the minority (actually majority in ATL an around the world) youth of Atlanta.
The last 3 white principals of NAHS have now been fired for “racial allegations”, these boys and girls downtown have cried wolf for a third time and its funny because at some point their checks will literally not cash.
From the Top to the Bottom
October 8th, 2012
2:48 pm
Let’s see…not only did Davis put in 8 CLL staffers to replace 4, he also has assigned people paid with Title 1 and RT3 funds to various microscopic tasks at NAHS. So, now it is ethical to utilize RT3 funds and Title 1 funds to cover details that Ms. Waldon did not otherwise consider when she created this fiasco? She continues to make inappropriate decisions based on whatever erroneous information is fed to her without checking facts, sources, or attempting to determine the validity of statements. She relies solely on her hired friends, all with Henry or DeKalb County ties. Six degrees of separation…do a little research and you will find that most of her Assoc. Superintendents have at one point worked with her or her co-horts.
How many different RIF policies is the BOE going to approve? Every person who has been riffed should go back to Policy #1, where it specifically states that if you were considered for riffing, you would be notified by June 15. Didn’t happen. And the district continued hiring. Wonder why there is an overage??
The BOE blindly approves everything that Errol Davis proposes, no questions asked. The voters should ask no questions and vote them out. Now Davis has started putting his own agenda on the forefront. But he is not realizing that the Buckhead groups will shut down that chamber, who will turn coat on him in a second.
Is there racism in APS? Absolutely. I cannot count the number of times that CLL staff members state that they are “sick of those white folks on the north side of town.” All of this hoopla over an anonymous phone call? What about the calls that have come in complaining about the poor customer service on both the 6th and 7th floors? Did you march those people off of their posts? No, because Ms. Waldon would be marching herself, her co-horts, and 99% of the people that they brought into the district out the door Wednesday morning.
FJ
October 8th, 2012
2:52 pm
Wow, didn’t realize that about the last 3 white principals. That is a fascinating bit of information right there….
TCCB
October 8th, 2012
3:14 pm
@ APS High Schools in Practice
October 8th, 2012
1:56 pm. You are on the money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
teacher
October 8th, 2012
3:45 pm
@NorthAtlantamom sorry you seem to not fathom what I said. Yes I am a teacher …did teach at APS and other districts…my students won many awards and so did I for teaching excellence.
I dont think anyone understands how it feels to be a non-african american and work at APS. When was the last time APS had a caucasian or asian or hispanic superintendent? The proof is in the pudding.
Things at APS has gone from bad to total disaster….if you dont rebuild from scratch you will get the same variations. The only way to deal with APS mess is to hit it from the pocket book. As more and more serious parents move out of APS school districts and more jobs move out of metro atlanta…APS will feel the pinch in the pocket book with lower property taxes..only way for it to be fixed..let it die and then rebuild.
anonymous123
October 8th, 2012
4:03 pm
The overt and blatantly racist comments on here need to stop. There is a clear dividing line among the races/classes at NAHS. That is the truth. No,I am not happy about the way things went on Friday. Maybe this will be an opportunity for us to get real and begin having a real dialogue about the inequalities that do exist. Some of the commenters are making it seem like whites value education, while blacks and Latinos do not. That is not the truth. We are all human.
Sandy Springs Parent
October 8th, 2012
4:15 pm
It is so sad that Southerners don’t understand that white folks up North take for granted that they can send their children to good public schools. Public schools where they will get a great education. Didn’t you all hear Mitt Romney in the debate bragging about his State. Mass. having the # 1 schools in the country ( well he didn’t make them that way.) I grew up in New York State, in upstate N.Y. Yes we went to the local Catholic School for a few years. They were cheap back in the 60’s $100 for 4 kids. They are still less than $3,000 per year. The fact is they are low and their are no other private schools, because the Public schools are great. Why are they great, because there are no mega districts in most of the N.E, Midwest, Maryland and Virginia. They consist of one or two high schools with their feeder schools.Two nearby districts share a votech school. Elected but unpaid local school boards. You must live in the school districts to attend the school. The districts are small so everyone knows who you are. We live 15 miles from the School we attended, but only 3 miles from the neighboring district, we couldn’t go their. Even though my Father owned the land in back of a house that fronted on the other district land and rented it to the farmer whose kids did go to that district for haying. Either way they were both top districts, it was just the point of the long bus rides.
Sandy Springs Parent
October 8th, 2012
4:33 pm
The fact of the matter is that many of us put our priorities toward buying a nice house, or the most house we can, to get in the best house in the best school district. We are then the only ones that show up for the PTA, the only ones who become the Cheer mom, we feed the teams so they don’t starve on game days. My daughter was at one school where the coach told “the parents use your food stamps and buy a loaf a bread and some bolonga to make the team sandwiches. It isn’t fair that the same 3-5 families are feeding a team of 20 girls”. That still didn’t work.
I took off days of work, when I worked to go on field trips with my kids. Or I planned ahead and worked comp. time. As a boss, I worked out my 200 + employees schedules so that they could go with their children.
In the 29 years, I lived in the Atlanta area this is the most raciest area. Guess what many of the most raciest people are blacks themself. Black Women are the worst, I experienced the most, when I dared in my 20’s to date a professional football player for. Sorry, Sister’s he had a Master’s degree and wasn’t interested in any of you, he asked me out and pursued me relentlessly. I still to this day, get the evil eye, when I am out through with friend I made through this relationship 29 years ago.
The hiring policies of the APS, Dekalb County, Clayton County, etc… should all be investigated. No one should get their job based on their connections. Especially membership in a raciest Soriety with the Pink and Green colors, or its counter part Fraternity.
It is just like the Gates Scholarship, my children should not be excluded. Or the Turner Scholarship, past winners have come from families that make 1/4 million dollars a year.
Sandy Springs Parent
October 8th, 2012
4:41 pm
What really needs to happen is for their to be a change in the constitutional Amendment to allow more school Districts. Their should be a Buckhead District. White Buckhead families should not have to feel they need to send their children to private school. When they are paying $10,000, $15,000, $25,000, 40,000 + a year in property taxes. Why should renters in Section 8 housing paying $100 a monty zoned to other schools they have left to be taken over by gangs, have what North Atlanta built.
The Same with Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Tucker, Vinings.
Look at the best districts are Decatur, Marietta, Bremen, all of the small city districts. We all deserve to get out of this huge district hell. It is nothing but a good old boy jobs program, whether it is black or white. The Black Atlanta is the Jackson-Reed. The White state one is the Purdue-Deal.
North Atlanta Mom
October 8th, 2012
4:44 pm
So now the discussion has digressed into the absurd saga of (imaginary) exploited upper middle income white southern victims of racism.
Such deliberate obtuseness would be quite humerous if the truth of how poorly blacks are still treated in the south wasn’t an every day reality.
anonymous123
October 8th, 2012
4:46 pm
@Sandy Springs Parent.
“Guess what many of the most raciest people are blacks themself.
Raciest and racist- different words,different meanings.
“Black Women are the worst.”
Really? You are so off topic and completely disrespectful. Get a life.
North Atlanta Mom
October 8th, 2012
4:49 pm
“It is just like the Gates Scholarship, my children should not be excluded. ”
Come now Sandy Springs mom, the lady who bragged about insulting her Hispanic “maid,” her own mother, and delighted at hearing of black children being denigrated by their Chemistry teacher.
Who are you trying to fool?
You know your children do not have the grades or acheivements for such a scholarship.
Based on your rantings, it is not the color of their skin holding them back but the quality (or lack thereof) of their parentage.
North Atlanta Mom
October 8th, 2012
4:53 pm
“. As more and more serious parents move out of APS school districts and more jobs move out of metro atlanta…APS will feel the pinch in the pocket book with lower property taxes..only way for it to be fixed..let it die and then rebuild.”
The net trend of movement is that people are moving into the city and not out of it.
But I stand by my earlier post, I sincerely hope you with your simplistic and inaccurate view of the world is not a teacher charged with educating young minds.
If you sincerely believe that you are the victim of “reverse racism” then you are not dealing with the reality of america today.
Perhaps look at reliable sources of information on such things …not Fox news or hate radio.
teacher
October 8th, 2012
5:02 pm
@northatlantamom….I am a far left liberal cheering for Obama to win 4 more years. Guess that makes you feel confused and wish you did not stereotype me based on just 2 posts I made.
I may be a far left liberal..but I am against corruption, reverse racism, racism, fraud, waste cronyism.
when you say net trend of people moving into the city…that is correct…but I dont think the net trend point to more people moving into the ‘city of atlanta”..or city served by the city of atlanta.
Again…things will play out based not on your ideals but by economics…I predict that if APS does not get its act together…APS will die a painful death as its revenue from property taxes dries up.
North Atlanta Mom
October 8th, 2012
5:11 pm
“Guess that makes you feel confused and wish you did not stereotype me based on just 2 posts I made.”
I did not “stereotype” you.
I read what you wrote. I read exactly what you wrote and its implications.
I suppose some of your best friends are black.
And you don’t see color.
etc etc
TCCB
October 8th, 2012
5:11 pm
@sandysprings parent you have gone toooooo far Brown -vs- The Board of Education look it up I’ll be praying that you keep your sanity because you sound real crazy right now “Section 8 renters paying $100 a Monty” an all White Buckhead School District in 2012 you have lost your mind!!!!!!!!!!!
NAHS parent
October 8th, 2012
5:24 pm
Everyone please take note of the fact that Sandy Springs Parent does not have a child that attends NAHS and has nothing to do with the school. Please correct me if I’m wrong so I can be thoroughly mortified.
@ teacher – there are those of us who cannot just let the system die. My child is at school there. I’m going to fight for it as long as she is.
Captain Obvious
October 8th, 2012
5:36 pm
@Cissy…sorry you didn’t get the memo but the brownies had pot in them.
enlightened
October 8th, 2012
5:39 pm
@TCCB and APS High Schools in Practice. I think I’m beginning to understand what you are both saying. I think you both agree that it’s the white Buckhead parents that are the problem. They think they should be able to put their kids in the public schools just because they pay taxes there. But really, they should just send their tax check every year and put their kids in private school. Because, really, the public schools should be for the black kids in Atlanta – no matter where they live. Those kids should just pick which school they like best and go there.
And those white Buckhead parents should keep all their white moms out of the schools cause they are all just sitting around baking brownies and plotting evil schemes about how to best get all the school resources diverted to their kids and making things as bad as possible for black kids. So, then moms like you two can take over at North Atlanta. Oh, but wait – neither of you has a student at North Atlanta. And . . . TCCB you don’t plan to send your child there – isn’t that what you said? something about keeping your child away from your neighborhood school? But maybe if NA looks hard they can find some other hate mongering parents to run that PTA. Or should they just disband it? Maybe you could clarify.
NAHS parent
October 8th, 2012
5:41 pm
@ Captain Obvious – Cissy was referring to a comment by TCCB that PTA moms need to stay home and bake brownies for bake sales instead of spending time at the school.
APS Parent #2
October 8th, 2012
5:49 pm
I’d sign up to take these educators at my school anytime. How bad can they be if APS begged them to come out of retirement and hold the fort until someone permanent could be hired? They seem to be team players and have lots of fans.
Which brings me to note, if APS ever planned in advance or had good processed in place, they could have avoided this issue altogether. NAHS would have had a new principal on Day One of school and he/she could have managed staff changes over the summer and not pulled the community into another APS fiasco.
“Bloody Friday”. Great title for this story Maureen. If APS was functional, you would not have this very long blog, but we could all be enjoying our fall break.
Mary Ann
October 8th, 2012
5:50 pm
@ Sandy Springs Parent: If you’re trying to convince us all of your enlightened viewpoint, you might want to consider your continued use of “raciest” instead of “racist”. Your spell check software may not mark it as an error, but it doesn’t mean what you think it means. It does, however, help demonstrate the cognitive framework from which your unpleasant generalizations about entire groups of people emerge.
…. unless you really do mean that Atlanta (and our Black women) display the greatest amount of the following qualities, per Dictionary.com:
rac·y [rey-see]
adjective, rac·i·er, rac·i·est.
1. slightly improper or indelicate; suggestive; risqué.
2. vigorous; lively; spirited.
3. sprightly; piquant; pungent: a racy literary style.
4. having an agreeably peculiar taste or flavor, as wine, fruit, etc.
NAHS MOTHER
October 8th, 2012
10:20 pm
The PTA really did run the school. Parents given keys to the school buildings, PTA meetings as parent homes, PTA members yelling at the former principal.
Things were out of control. Excerpt from email from PTA today –
“Since 2010 the North Atlanta PTSA has been authorized by APS to maintain and update our school web site. With the exception of one small section of the site, this access was revoked over the weekend. “
JAR
October 8th, 2012
10:55 pm
Racism, the one problem that America just can not seem to solve. The problem that will lead to our ultimate demise. As our competitors in the world use their diversity to make progress on real issues, America is still fighting the Civil War, Jim Crow and an abundance of Contemporary Racist Thugs.. Thugs that are emboldened by the annonimity of a keyboard but when face to face with the dearly hated, they smile like a jackass eating yellow jackets…
TCCB
October 8th, 2012
11:41 pm
@NAHS MOTHER The PTA should not be allowed to run any school.
jw
October 8th, 2012
11:49 pm
@North Atlanta mom…. “young fragile minds”? Seriously? You grossly underestimate children and especially youth. We really need to give them the tools to learn and get the (bleep) out of their way until they ask us to get more involved. Amazing things happen.
NAHS alum-2011
October 9th, 2012
1:05 am
As a former Sutton and North Atlanta student, I am extremely disheartened to hear all of the rhetoric spewing up on this blog. The real fact of the matter is that the removal of these employees in such a manner was completely inappropriate. It does not matter what you think of them or the PTA or APS. It must have been extremely humiliating to be walked out of that building by a police escort with vague accusations of racism ringing in your ears.
This blog has turned into an anonymous place to voice extreme opinions that very few people are willing to voice in public. Note how many posts are anonymous. Many of these accusations seen here posted are completely baseless, and frankly quite immature. I do not understand how some of these parents expect their children and students to behave better than they themselves can.
For those who are truly willing to be open-minded, please direct your attention to the student posts by both former and current NAHS students. They are the real voice for the school and current administration. All of their voices have been overwhelming positive and supportive for the administration at North Atlanta High School.
In the end, this is an issue about what happened last Friday. Yes, there are other systemic issues that will need to be dealt with in time, but, for the moment, the focus should be on the unexplained drastic measures we all saw employed on Friday.
When did this become not about the students? Or have I mistaken the supposed goal of a high school to educate and prepare young adults for college and the real world with a venue for adults to gain political power and carry out their own agendas? Based on the comments seen here and the actions of last Friday, all I can say is shame on you. Imagining racism where there is none and implanting these ideas in the community only creates divisiveness. Inciting scandal in this manner is juvenile and in this case, completely unfounded. Too many people have made their voices heard for any credence to be given to the voices who are calling out racism.
The real focus should be on the changes that HAVE been made at NAHS for the better. I can attest to these changes.
As a freshmen, fights went on everyday. I had to leave one time from school because an older kid thought it would be funny to throw a graphing calculator with as much force as possible. I was standing by myself in the gym waiting to be let into school. He succeeded in hitting in the back of the head and injuring me to the point where I left school for the day. He was neither caught nor punished. This type of occurrence used to be common. Now, it is not and would cause mass hysteria if it happened. I have several friends who were mugged in the bathrooms as freshmen in high school. It was commonplace.
Gautreaux, Denine, and Mygrant along with the help of other teachers and administrative members are completely responsible for this change.
They are the ones who I have to thank for going to a safe school, and this is only one of the many ways that they have positively affected the school.
The IB program has flourished underneath this administration. So much so that the entire school is now IB-based. Everyone can be and is in International Baccalaureate. Do those seem like the actions of a racist administration intent on fostering opportunities only for the caucasian minority? I do not understand how that conclusion could be made with such simple facts. And yes, it is true that IB is an intensely rigorous program. I can certainly attest to this. I went to college with sophomore status due to my testing scores. It is true that many students chose not to take advantage of these classes and the faculty at NAHS willing to help them. However, this does not mean that the teachers and opportunities were not there, or that the administration did not care. At some point, you cannot force a student to do their homework, attend class, and take advantage of the opportunities that they do have in front of them. The student has to take initiative as well.
This entire debacle has clearly not been about the students from day one. If it was, a shock and awe campaign with events like the one we saw on Friday would not have taken place. It simply does not make sense for this to happen when Mygrant was asked to come back as an interim principal only for a few short weeks. The police and racist accusations have been just been used as a facade in order to cover up a distinctly political agenda.
This kind of behavior cannot and will not be tolerated. I am in full support of all of the students who are creating facebook groups, writing emails and letters to the School Board, and letting their voices be heard.
They are the voices that matter so listen to them.
exaps teacher
October 9th, 2012
4:35 am
@North Atlanta Mom…quote ” If you sincerely believe that you are the victim of “reverse racism” then you are not dealing with the reality of america today. ”
I think you want to reserve the use of the word racism and its experience only for African Americans.
Sorry to break your bubble there. Racism is equal opportunity and racist people come in all colors.
teacher
October 9th, 2012
4:36 am
@North Atlanta Mom…quote ” If you sincerely believe that you are the victim of “reverse racism” then you are not dealing with the reality of america today. ”
I think you want to reserve the use of the word racism and its experience only for African Americans.
Sorry to break your bubble there. Racism is equal opportunity and racist people come in all colors.
Entitlement Society
October 9th, 2012
9:59 am
@APS Parent #2 – “I’d sign up to take these educators at my school anytime. How bad can they be if APS begged them to come out of retirement and hold the fort until someone permanent could be hired?”
How bad can they be? NAHS SAT scores are below the State of Georgia average. The school hasn’t made AYP in years. That’s how bad.
Friend of a teacher
October 9th, 2012
10:07 am
I think everyone should just stop blogging and rest up for tonight’s fireworks, when Superintendent Davis hopefully will explain his decisions affecting these NAHS employees and, in addition, why he chose such a harsh and humiliating way to do it. Perhaps he should waste some more taxpayer money and rent the Georgia Dome, because I’m sure everyone that needs to hear, from his mouth, his justification, will not nearly fit into the NAHS auditorium. I hope he alone will be on the stage to defend his actions, because he alone, is ultimately responsible for what he has done. For once, it would be great to see the person ultimately responsible be held accountable for what they have done, unlike previous superintendents who go quietly into retirement with no punishment whatsoever. It seems totally unfair for Dr. Davis to drop this gigantic bomb shell on NAHS, its new principal, and APS, knowing he will probably not remain in his position long enough himself to feel the impacts of his decision. He should be forced to stay as superintendent for 5 years to experience the full impact of his action.
NAHS MOTHER
October 9th, 2012
11:05 am
The meeting tonight is going get very unruly, loud, angry and scary, I predict.
skipper
October 9th, 2012
11:22 am
Let me extend my heart-felt congrats to APS for showing how to totally screw up the public school system. You are already the laughing stock of the state. Take this with you, voters who put them in: The right to vote does not mean the intelligence to do so! What a crock! The Klan itself in its biggest day can’t play the race card like APS!
Prof
October 9th, 2012
11:34 am
@ NAHS alum-2001. WONDERFUL POST.
NA mom
October 9th, 2012
12:13 pm
” The Klan itself in its biggest day can’t play the race card like APS!”
Wow, talk about completely out of touch with reality.
So thousands of murders of innocent men, women and children, and terrorizing entire city populations has been reduced to playing the “race card” and deemed as less serious than whatever the APS is supposedly doing to victimize white folks?
Completely out of touch with reality by any measure.
APS High Schools in Practice
October 9th, 2012
12:29 pm
@NAHS MOTHER. The NAHS PTSA doesn’t have anything on the Grady parents who run that school.
The same issues exist at Grady and are well known. A former Grady student who now teaches at South Atlanta spoke a few years back at the APS Valedictorian banquet in front of APS Senior staffers (Dr. Hall may even have been there). He shared that Grady is racially divided. The blacks and whites don’t mix.
These Grady parents will do anything necessary to keep the racial divide and operate as a de facto magnet program for 25% of the school. The parents of the other 75%, the majority of whom are African-American, special needs, a few white or the less affluent, have kids warehoused on the other side of the wall of privilege. Their kids get less opportunities so their school experience is lacking with compared with the privileged 25%.
I’ll bet those who like the Grady glass wall have already started planning how to keep APS from messing up “their” school (well their magnet program and the community perception of a school). If they use the media as they usually do, watch whose names appear and you’ll know who is operating Grady and which board member is their close personal friend whose child lives on the privileged side of the wall.
North Atlanta High: Expect a crowd tonight for school chief meeting. And tough questions. | Get Schooled
October 9th, 2012
12:30 pm
[...] Parents are arriving at 5, an hour before APS superintendent Erroll B. Davis is expected to address the abrupt and still unexplained ousting of the principal and the reassignment of four key school leaders Friday. [...]