Bloody Friday at North Atlanta High: APS kicks out old leaders, announces new ones without explanation.

Wow, this is a bizarre story.

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Very interesting that the parents were hearing about this well after the fact. The parents I talked to were outraged. And this principal thinks he can do it better? This is how his current school rates: LILBURN MIDDLE is on this list: AP Story
ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Education has released a list of 156 schools labeled as “focus” schools under the state’s new accountability system.
The schools, many of which are in metro Atlanta, are one step above the state’s worst performing schools, called “priority” schools, which were released last week. The “focus” schools are ones with a graduation rate of less than 60 percent over two years or have large gaps between the highest and lowest achieving subgroup of students on campus.

Also reported in the AJC: http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/georgia-releases-list-of-focus-schools-needing-add/nQSMy/

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Another thing…if this was a tactical move by the district, why was the school not a part of this tranisiton plan? I agree Dunwoody Mom, this is a bizarre story!

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How much lower can APS get? Even Alice finally hit the bottom of the rabbit hole.

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I guess he discovered Massive Cheating or Cooking the books at this Buckhead school. Remember last year when Avaossa came in and did and Audit and found that Riverwood’s longtime Principal and AD were misappropriating funds. Now the ex-Riverwood Principal has been charged by the Fulton County DA.

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@Another Comment…are you suggesting some criminal issues? cheating or cooking the books at NAHS?

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Well, so much for the IB program at North Atlanta, and for other programs as well. No one can convince me that ”transitional” motivation and restructuring resulted in such brutally insensitive and senseless booting of the leadership. Having worked there for almost 10 years, and under some of the same leaders dismissed today, I can attest to their professionalism and expertise. Where is this coming from, then? Why not just say it: is this upheaval resulting from racial discrimination, or from NAHS insiders intent on pushing their own agenda? And to insinuate that the new principal wanted a clean slate is ludicrous. He would need all the experience possible to keep North Atlanta’s complexities running smoothly. Such a sad commentary on APS and its leadership, or lack thereof.

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O happy day! O happy day! The reason for the removal is simple, the leadership team was ineffective! Parents at NAHS, the time has come to face the realities of the lack of leadership by the leadership team over the last five years! North Atlanta was a high school that sat on the hill looking over others in APS but those who the real North Atlanta are happy to see this change come! If we are looking at why this happen, talk to the students of NAHS and they will tell you why this happen! Let’s see if the parents will now turn on APS by taking action! This story is just the beginning of a longer story at North Atlanta! Some call it Bloody Friday, others will call it justice! Welcome to the New North Atlanta!

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“Obviously, no one is thinking about the disruption this will cause for our children”

^^^THIS!

I don’t know what is going on, but I DO know that is is is not about what is in the best interest of the students of North Atl.

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@New Day – What kind of justice are you talking about? Which group of children are YOU talking about? Who are you saying is the “real North Atlanta?” Are you saying that some of the kids are NOT the real North Atlanta?

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It’s long past time for Error Davis’s departure. He’s always been a mistake. We don’t need devils like this in Atlanta… $$$$ down the drain…

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Maureen I would start with the Newton BOE vice chair who has complained about the money problems at Alcovy High to which LaQuanda Carpenter responded by naming him in a lawsuit to shut him up. It has not worked rather it has exposed her more. He is represented by former longtime Newton DA.

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And odd goings-on to your west, as well: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20121005/NEWS01/310050016/Exclusive-Teachers-say-grades-changed-current-former-educators-say-practice-widespread-some-MPS-high-schools?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Frontpage|s

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You just don’t walk staff out in this manner. Something is going on. I know there are those of you who know so let’s hear it. Bring all into the light.

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Maybe someone can explain to me why Harper-Archer Middle School has about 700 students, but has 1 principal, 3 assistant principals and 6 instructional coaches. Thats 1 administrator for every 70 students. I’m pretty sure that those salaries can be used to hire more teachers and reduce the number of students in class.

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That administration needed to go ,your beloved Mygrant and his incompetent staff have no control over their teachers. They only cater to a certain Buckhead Becky type of student! 31 plus children in a classroom. SLC leaders watching the clock on minority teachers time. But allowing their favorites to skirt repsonsibility. If you all believe those folks were in your best interest you are sadly mistaken. Blaming the superintendent for having to make tough calls financially because you all liked someone is ridiculous. Business is business it’s not more than 47% in that building. Change may be difficult. But it is necessary. What is crazy is how are elementary schools are run differently within the same district and the middle and high school are in the toilet. No books, no paper, no supplies WTHeck! Mygrant and his prejudicial incompetent staff should have never had all the power in the first place PTSA is not representive of the population. It’s overseer master type politics and don’t complain because if you do! Your label! Vengeance is mine said The Lord! Believe in change because its gonna come !!!!!!

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It seems that politics is becoming more and more the number one priority at some Atlanta area schools.

I wonder why this is?

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MyGrant has always been a friend to all students: black, white, hispanic, asian, abled and disabled, wealthy and poor. To suggest otherwise is ridiculous and hints at perhaps a disgruntled parent whose child got in trouble.

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What’s bizarre is that they would put new temps in for 4 weeks.

Rather than attacking the APS administration, there should be some time to figure out if something else is going on.

This is being treated as if there were a personnel or legal issue, with the security and lack of comment. If this were a business, you would think there was a crime or a case of something like sexual harrassment, while all of the leadership knew about it and did nothing. But its APS, so you never know.

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Davis is trying to run the school system like a business. He has his own agenda and the school board sits by and allows him do as he wishes. Who is he answering to? The school system can not be treated like a business. These are children not cattle that need to be pushed around. Davis and his new administration need to go ASAP!!!!!

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With the way APS is being run we need a new Supertindent that is concern about the whole system from the bottom to the top. All of the schools need to be investagated, instead of herding children like they are cattles.WHERE DO WE AS PARENTS AND CONCERN CITIZENS DRAW THE LINE /

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Mr. Davis needs to be upfront and explain the actions taken on Friday or else many rumors will continue. As parents we derserve this.

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@ Concerned APS parent -you are right about Mr. Davis needeing to explain. He says it is a “new day” at North Atlanta. What does his idea of a “new day” look like? What does he envision for North Atlanta? He needs to share this with parents.

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Maureen,
Thanks for taking the time to post, update and monitor this blog on a Friday night and Saturday morning.

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I worked under MyGrant while he was Sutton. I should pause here to add that I am a Black male. I found MyGrant to be a phenominal administrator who had to love and support of the teachers, parents, and students. He so well liked and respected that they asked him to be the principal at NAHS. When he announced this move to his teachers at Sutton, there were few dry eyes in the building. This man loves his job, his teachers, and his students. I never witnessed a single incident of favoritism or unfairness.

I do not know what has happened at NAHS. With the track record like his, the higher ups have to tell us something about why he and his ENTIRE staff was removed. I hope they checked with their legal department before making this move. Does this effect MyGrants retirement?

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I am serious considering the state-wide charter schools vote.

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At Jackson Elementary our children read the story “The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg” and learned the painful moral of that story. Now they see it played out in front of their eyes at NAHS. APS is trying to kill the one successful corner of an otherwise underperforming system. The undercurrent to this recent action is the long running jealousy of the underacheiving of the successful students. MyGrant created two of the three jewels in the APS crown and now the politicians downtown want trash it instead of trying to replicate his methods at the other weaker schools.

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Sounds like par for the course for the joke that is APS. And people wonder why they are a nationwide laughingstock.

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Will there be a meeting to update parents?

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Maureen, I noticed in your list you left out academy leader Mona Fairley-Nelson from your list from your email from Mygrant. Was this omission by accident or does Mygrant mean she should have been the only one fired?

Did she do something illegal or unethical?

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Some years ago there was a commenter named Top Hat who regularly cited chapter and verse regarding nefarious dealings of corruption, favortism (sp) and back-coverings at North Atl. HS. He also had a web site. His postings would make for very interesting reading in light of the house-sweep of Friday.

In business/finance, the perp walk is to ensure you do not touch a computer to change any files of any sort. And they have you dead to rights to warrant their dismissal action. So what lurks on his system?

I find it funny that the majority of Georgians say they want government to be run like a business (esp. a ‘right to work’ state), then here it happens and away they start whining.

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Classless. Regardless of what is going on behind the scenes and in central office, the children come first. Someone clearly forgot. This disruption may have a prolonged effect on the nah students. There had to have been a better time and a better way to handle this shift in leadership. I’m so disappointed.

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It’s absolutely true that Mr. Mygrant and the administration played favorites and had a double standard.

The white buckhed girls who were caught last year SELLING marijuana brownies were allowed back into the school after a short suspension where black kids with minor infractions are quickly expelled.

The school has gradually over the last 4 years expelled an unprecedented number of poor minority students.

Mygrant would often ignore students and parents who did not fit his preferred demographic even when presented with clear evidence of outlandish and prejudiced treatment at the hands of his staff.

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While they are reorganizing North Atlanta High School, other departments need restructuring. The College and Career Counseling Center which in its current state is not a good resource for seniors. Parents have to utilize Grady and schools in Fulton County for scholarship and college visit information because the current staff member is not responsive to all students or parents. With my third child being a senior, APS need to bring back the Gillons who were previously over the College Zone (previous name). They accomodated all students and took out the time to speak to every parent. The IS and the IBE counselors need to be changed out. They are not effective and not in support of the students in a positive way. The Arts and Broadcast Journalism counselors are most effective at this time. IS has a new counselor and this person though seems organized is not a good fit and comments she makes to students can crush self esteem. The registrar department is always willing to help parents and students. Mr. Thomas and Ms. McClendon are helpful over the telephone and in person. A note to the new administration: Please change the PTA meetings to evenings to accomodate more parents work schedules. Also it would also be a good idea for the bi-weekly teacher conferences to be changed to evenings or a Saturday morning. Additionally, all focuses should be equal among SLCs. No preferential treatments. All students should have the same access to resources.

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Maybe B Davis need to be investigated.

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Whats wrong with comment..Davis and APS should be investigated..if clean no problem.

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I tried to tell you guys about Erroll B. Davis from the very beginning. When a man doesn’t respect the Georgia law relative to grievances, guaranteed sick days, duty free lunch for elementary teachers, or the due process elements of the 940 law, then I am totally leary of him or her. I told you guys that I did not see much difference between the Erroll Davis Administration and the Beverly Hall Administration, although I will admit that the administration finally set up a grievance hearing before the actually school board members for Level III as required by law. I will give the Davis Administration credit for this, but it seems like I had to metaphorically bludgeon the administration over the head to get its attention. I hope that this administration will learn from the mistakes of the previous administration, but coming from the corporate world does not automatically enure that you know how to run an effective school system.

I don’t know Mr. MyGrant, but I know that often in school systems a confident and effective administrator can be a threat to the superintendent or other higher-ups. Plus, since he already retired and they asked him to come back on board, he probably was not as willing to goose-step and kiss the obligatory as$es like expected. I am sure that this was probably the problem.

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Maureen, Is it true that the white girl who sold the marijuana brownies had a parent who was employed at the school and was a good friend of Mr Mygrant?

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Could not imagine sending my kid to an APS school. Really, it makes you woder if the public school model really is broken. Is it a place for learning, or an institution concerned with only it’s interests and agendas of narrow parties? Galloway must be hiring like mad.

Mr Errol is seemingly swimming with sharks. One hopes he has a cage to protect him.

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I see that my comments are being deleted because they are not in praise of Mr. Mygrant’s leadership.

No wonder Ms. Downey can claim that she has received overwhelming supportive comments for Mr. Mygrant – when she deletes anyone that are not supporitve.

What bias.

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” Please change the PTA meetings to evenings to accomodate more parents work schedules.”

Absolutely. The PTSA meetings are actually now in the mornings, so the only people that can and do attend them are Buckhead moms without jobs — Mr. Mygrant’s people.

The only parents with any influence say in the school are rich moms without jobs.

Working class parents are treated as 2nd class citizens at the school.

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“Why are you protecting this evil racist man?”

I wouldn’t go that far.

I think Mr. Mygrant is well meaning, but he clearly did not do enough to treat all parents and all students equally.

He was wined and dined by his rich PTSA coffee talk moms and they got whatever they wanted.

I have personal experience with a serious infraction by one of his teachers against my student ultimately being ignored by Mr. Mygrant.

At first Mr. Mygrant assured me he was outraged and about all of the action he was going to take on my students behalf. Then a buckhead mom intervenes on the teachers behalf and Mr. Mygrant never responds to my emails or calls again. Completely ignoring how unfairly one of his students was treated.

These incidents are not in isolation. Talk to any NAHS parents who are not in the preferred circle and you will hear these complaints time and time again.

It’s sad because as personally likeable as Mr. Mygrant is, he should put ALL of the students’ well being before his desire to be oogled over by the rich PTSA coffee talk crowd.

In that regard he failed many of the students and that’s a shame.

I don’t think that makes him an “evil” or “racist,” but he certainly allowed his school to be run in a prejudiced way.

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Is everyone missing the major facts that NAHS has not made AYP under the leadership of Mygrant ever, and the beloved IB program has very few students that obtain the coveted IB diploma. This is no crown jewel for APS just because it is in Buckhead. Tests scores speak for themselves. Come on, we are talking about the adults, and not the poor education the children are receiving!
NAHS has, if not the oldest, IB program in the state of GA. Compare it too the newer ones IB diploma rate. It is embarrasing!
Just because you like someone doesn’t mean they are doing a good job.

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WOW. “Mentionit” thank you for being the true spokesperson for “your” community! At least someone is saying how the NAHS community realy feels about minorities. SMDH

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I think the real issue is bubbling to the top and it is the same one that always prevails. Perpetual victim mentality, socio-economic envy and a complete lack of personal accountability. We see once again who really lets their prejudices guide their behavior.

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This is really a bizarre story but something is definitely amiss at North Atlanta. Comparatively speaking, a disproportionate number of African American teachers at North Atlanta were moved to other APS schools both this school year and the previous school year. Someone should check the numbers and interview those teachers.

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“Also, students are required under Georgia law to take 4 years of math classes, so you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The boy took 5 math classes in the point. He took 2 IB math courses because he was allowed to take Math I in middle school.

The boy was allowed to start Math I early (because his middle school offered it) and the girl was forced to take Algebra I in 8th grade and then Math I in 9th grade. This was clearly no fault of her own.

Clearly, you do not have information on these specific instances

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Thank you, Informed, for setting the record straight about the kids selling drugs. Never knew there was so much hostility at NAHS. Been there going on 4 years and always felt like a friendly and cohesive group of kids and teachers. Maybe I should look somewhere else for my middle schooler.

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I wonder if this has something to to with out-of-zone students. APS schools all over the system have out-of-zone students that the administration is totally aware of Even out-of-district students have seats in APS traditional and APS run Charter schools too!

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Kudos…to Errol Davis, Karen Walden and the Leadership Team of APS for addressing one of the greatest ills of APS’ district. Lets examine the facts…North Atlanta did not make AYP since Delphia Bryant Young left the helm of that school, nor has there been true equity for all the students in that building. The I.B. Program is a joke!! Simply, ask the question…how many students received the I.B. diploma? What you “had” was a private school operating inside of a public school, where there was true inequity. Because many of the “Buckhead” parents could not afford Westminister, they wanted to seize North Atlanta as their very own private school, while exploiting the live of so many minority children. Furthermore, it was quite evident that the parents were too familiar with the daily operation of the school and yes, there were “cliques”, unfair treatment, not to mention the disregard for policy, procedures and protocol. KUDOS…to Errol Davis and his team for having the courage to oust that 3-ring circus!!! Yes, it is a new day in the Atlanta Public Schools and as a parent of NAH, I am very happy and pleased with the outcome…

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Karen Waldon has been, and continues to be, nothing but trouble.

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“in a school”

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I’d like to know more about this curious statement by Mygrant given above: “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.” Sounds like legally sound evidence.

I was also struck by one blogger’s remark–can’t find it, did you remove it Maureen ?– that in business and finance a removed executive is given the “perp’s walk” to avoid any possible contact with computers upon leaving. The blogger asked: What’s in the [computer] system?” and I agree.

Something legally criminal must be involved here…. which none of us blogging know about.

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“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”

Mr. Mygrant has ignored instances of racism against non-white students for years, so this does not surprise me in the least.

One chemistry teacher has repeatedly made racist comments to black students including telling one girl that she “better leave her culture at the door” and this teacher is still working at NAHS.

Sounds like the brownie issue and disparate treatment by race and class are relevant issues to Mr. Mygrant’s sudden firing.

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Beverly Hall is gone, but the APS mess remains. In my opinion, Erroll Davis is no different than Beverly Hall. Upon being selected as Superintendent of APS, Davis has made no major changes to the central office. In Technology, Communications & Finance, it’s business as usual. In my dealings with Mr. Mygrant, I found him to be very cordial & professional. I do not know the reasons for his dismissal, but I do not believe he deserved to be publicly humiliated like this. APS has a very long history of humiliating employees in this manner. I’ve also heard about payroll issues as well as construction payment irregularities. The public deserves an explanation with regard to Mr. Mygrant’s situation. I can’t speak on his personal views, but I do know that he’s always treated me with dignity and respect. Erroll Davis and the management in Finance need to go!

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Someone surely needs to make sure only

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We, the taxpayers, deserve to know why these kinds of extreme measures were taken towards a long-time educator. Even criminals are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Please continue to research this.

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Wow, NAHS mother, things sound awful. I’m surprised you’d want your child going to such a horrible place. I hope you can find some place that’s better and more equitable. Best of luck to you.

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@Chicago Jeff –

Please leave your racist assumptions out of this conversation and deal with the issues raised.

Do not try and personally attack me via lines of argument that you think apply to all non-white parents.

You only expose yourself when you do.

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Some one surely needs to make sure that only students zoned to the school are going to the school. It is and always has been a big problem at North Atlanta. It has been what has kept the real Buckhead students out of North Atlanta. No one wants to send their kids to school with gang bangers.

Over the last few years as the economy has melted and the private schools have felt they are entitled to 22K tuition. Fewer Buckhead Families can afford to send their kids to the privates. They started out by taking back their elementarys, then Sutton. Then they wanted to take back their zoned High School. But to do that someone has to put a stop to the line jumpers at North Atlanta too.

The same thing over in Sandy Springs. When I have a 12 year old coming home and telling me you know mom alot of kids don’t really live in the school district. This was a week after she told me all these kids are getting free lunch mom. Why are they getting free lunch Mom. I said, I don’t know other than lying sweaty, because you certainly can not live in this neighborhood and only make $22,000 per year. The cut off for free lunch. Even Cheap apartments are $1,200 mo. Any decent rental is over $2,000. Old in need of repair houses are $ 325K to $400K, a flipped small house down the street just sold for $599K. New Houses down the Street are $1.1 to $1.4 M to Start.

The Constitution needs to be Changed so we can have smaller school districts. IE. The Buckhead School District, The Sandy Springs District. The Vinings District, The Dunwoody District, The Brookhaven District. This would allow real local control. It get rid of bloat and corruption.

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“It has been what has kept the real Buckhead students out of North Atlanta. No one wants to send their kids to school with gang bangers. ”

There’s no problem with racism here at NAHS…

move along…move along folks…

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@ Another Comment- I think your comment is very level headed and does speak to the current situation at NAHS. If you are a transfer student, you are not given as many chances. That would be APS policy not NAHS. Just as calculating GPA is not school policy but state policy. @the person who keeps mentioning the test performance. NAHS has low scores. The students that we inherit had low scores. Note- We were not flagged in any way for cheating on tests. The talk about the racist environment is just not founded. But you can find examples to support something if that is all you are looking for and the lense you are using. Under the current administration, they expanded the option to participate in the IB diploma program to ALL SLCs. Before the student had to be in IS, which would fill up first with kids whose parents were in the loop. (This parent can be of any race, but it did tend to be more white students.) They have been actively trying ot encourage more particpation in the IB diploma program from all students. Many students do not choose to do the program.

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Re: linejumping comments… NAHS had open attendance as a magnet program, some kids came in through NCLB & even this year NAHS had open spots available by the APS lottery because the school was underenrolled.

@NAHS Mother: you sound like an involved parent who cares about her kids’ schooling. Sorry you are drawing these comments. Bear in mind that the worst comes out in the worst people in these online forums.

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I think the term “buckhead betties” is really insulting. Also, please stop bashing student reputations on here, it is not right. I am glad I have not heard of any guns, weapons, or knives in school. Im tired of the argument of the have and have nots, we all need to make the best of what we got. I know Mark MyGrant and have worked with him. I saw him calmly break up a girl fight in the cafeteria. I see him treat everyone the same. He may not be the absolute best leader but I would give him an 8 out of 10. I respect him and his leadership team. This change has students, parents, faculty, etc… all on edge. We need to think before we judge and do the best we can now.

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Regardless of what was happening, there is a million better ways to handle this. Anyone looking in from the outside never wonders why APS appears to be drifting around. There is no rudder to keep them focused. It’s sad for those students.

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@Sandy Springs I don’t know that it’s ever productive to label someone a bad mother, make a student feel humiliated in the hall on the way into class, or refer to a large heterogenous group of people as all being the same.

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Thank you Maureen for asking Alford the tough questions. I also want to know why moving 4 knowledgable and experienced administrators who could be of great help to a new principal is “moving North Atlanta in a new direction.” As I see it, North Atlanta was already on the rise and this seems like a major step backwards. All of this talk about racial issues is very disturbing. I see the diversity at North Atlanta and embrace it. The students feel the same way.

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If APS believes that a new high school principal can identify his/her own leadership team to move the school forward, then is APS going to allow the new principal for Maynard Jackson High School to have this same ability? If so, why hasn’t APS swooped in to escort the MJHS interim and all of its academy leaders out of the building? (I refuse to agree that this action is advantageous until I hear how APS answers Maureen’s questions. Thanks Ms. Downey!)

I have heard that the NAHS issue is related to allegations of institutionalized racism at that school. Over the years the same issues have been raised about Grady High School and now are being raised about Maynard Jackson High School. Is APS going to investigate those allegations at those schools too? And, if there is evidence that students are segregated on the basis of race, will APS replace their entire school leadership teams?

APS has a new “ism” that has the same negative impact as racism. It is “class-ism.” For APS high schools that don’t have a racially diverse population, but have a economically diverse population, will APS investigate this impact? Check out Mayes, Carver and South Atlanta High Schools for example.

It is 2012. We have an African-American president in the White House and Atlanta is still hung up on “isms.” Isn’t Atlanta the City Too Busy to Hate and the Birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? For those who don’t like public school, there are options. Private school, charter school or the suburbs.

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I think it’s high time APS was broken down into smaller, more manageable school districts. They could be the existing “pods”: the North Atlanta district, the Morningside district etc. They should operate independently of one another. Put the control back in the neighborhoods that feed into those schools and that financially support them. If NAHS is the only high school in APS with IB or an Arts program, then it is time for others to take the iniative to put IB/Arts programs in their own schools. I, for one, would have more confidence in my school board if they were elected from my own neighborhood or surrounding neighborhoods.

As for the PTA meetings, in my experience it doesn’t matter what time or day these are scheduled. There will always be the excuses that the meeting time/day in not convenient. I am sure teachers hear that same excuse for teacher-parent conferences, too.

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This is heartbreaking…Its my school. First of all for those who are quick to dismiss public school, don’t be so hasty. Politics happen in every organization including private schools. If more of the “well to do” community would support the local school and its teachers, neighborhood schools would be in a different place (Look at the elementary schools!) . For those who are obsessing over white vs black preferential treatment at NAH, note it goes both ways, its not always fair, and it needs to be worked on, hundreds of years of seeds planted by both white and black have to be undone. For those saying its business to publicly escort out, I say it better be a darn good reason for that level of business where children are being impressed upon. As a black student I can tell you that life at North Atlanta was good, not everything is fair for everyone, not just based on race or income, its off of personality and clothing and behavior and JUST LIKE ALL SCHOOLS AND HUMANS DO UNINTENTIONALLY EVERY TIME THEY SIZE A PERSON UP! Not saying its right I’m saying we are no worse then any other who live in a society where things are in state of growth… and I’ve seen my share of schools. The Bottom line is we deserve answers of why this was intentionally so dramatic…. They couldn’t have waited 20 more minutes until school was out?

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From KB

It’s my understanding that in the past week, the English teacher hired a lawyer to ask for e-mails that Principal MyGrant has detailing a long history of reverse discrimination hiring by APS

Why is it that THIS comment from KB “passes the smell tests” and the actions of APS don’t?

As chillywilly said, APS has a long, VERY long history of mistreatment of employees, and Steve the Mouth Organ’s protestations to the contrary, it makes ZERO sense this is dictated by “instructional needs”

And KUDOS to Maureen for the follow up: How can these people be SPARED from central office.
FORCE them to be accountable!

In the words of the Ovaltine commercial “More FOLLOW UP please!”

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We need to go back to neighborhood schools. The parasites that are neglecting THEIR neighborhood schools only to take up resources that they don’t pay for in the N. Atlanta neighborhood are the problem.

FIX YOUR OWN SCHOOLS. You have ruined N. Atlanta.

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My daughter had a black cheer leading coach in Cobb County that couldn’t cut it as a middle school Social Studies Teacher in Cobb County. She had not passed the State test. Then Cobb Moved her to PE, she knew the writting was on the wall. Then she all of a sudden got a job as a Social Studies teacher in Cobb County, The clock would then start again for her 3 year provesional license in Atlanta. They thought she was going to be able to continue as a cheerleading coach in Cobb, since all the Cheer Coach positions were filled at that time, but someone in Cobb said no.

She was cute personable, but some one said no.

Then the next year, Then at the end of Cheerleading Season we find out in Cobb County the Head Cheer and asst Track Coach was being let go at 3 years. Everyone complains. It turns out she too had a provisional Social Studies License and hadn’t enven tried to take the test. So they told her she had to take the test. She took it barely passed. Came back last year. But know she was let get. Rumor has it she is over in Atlanta. It is an open secret if you are a Black teacher and can not cut it in Cobb or on a provisional license and have not gotten your teaching liscense in Cobb, you can just go across the River into Atlanta and get a job in Atlanta for being Black. These teacher’s didn’t want to origninally teach in Atlanta, because of the discipline issues in some of the schools they end up in . But when they can’t cut it in Cobb, they will out of desperation go apply to Atlanta. Another Black male teacher I know that couldn’t make it in Cobb and was riffed went down to Bibb County.

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@Big Mama & USMC:
APS is a neighborhood based school system except for the magnets that formerly existed at the high schools. The move to cohesive clusters (which NAHS has had for years but no one else has had) is to create more opportunities to get neighborhood input and local control. They are also giving principals more support and more discretion to operate independently of downtown but with accountability.

@USMC: No individual parent could have transformed the wretched mess that Parks Middle and Douglas High had become. We are the adults in our city together. You are also capable of remedying the gross neglect of schools in many parts of our city. It is likely you were better positioned to hold our school board accountable than most of the parents zoned to those failed schools.

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I know they mean well, but the new team won’t care as much as the old team who have.been with us since freshmen year. I find it kind disrespectful on how they just did this with out the concent of the.community, the people who are going to benifit from it the most. Wy to get yourself in some heat aps congrats

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Whoa, they legitimately took out the only reasonable and worthy people to have even been in the school besides a **few** of the teachers(like Mr.Williams, Ms.Ray, a couple others, and the IB teachers). Honestly they should have just also taken Mr. Baillard away and then they could unofficially have an environment for zero success rate and control over student action. I guess if there is some lawful/financial benefit to shutting down the school for being terrible then they will achieve it going down this route. Just on a side note I had MyGrant as a principle for 7 years, and I’d have to question the qualifications of Davis, because this is ridiculous – I won’t include any nostalgic stories or anything (not to say I don’t have more than a few), but like it’s already been said in the comments, APS is only looking to grab as much money as they can. If you have ever seen an APS substitute or half of the staff in the whole school that could score higher than a brick on an IQ test, then you must be high on LSD. The literal stupidity of most of the staff and especially the substitutes is so extraordinary that it could only be paralleled with the low salary that they accepted to get hired (or possibly it’s the same salary as other teachers, but the school would get more funding for worse grades?). I wouldn’t take the time to look into because if you dug it would seem that without a doubt the entire school system would come crashing down, and what that would do for your kids education could probably only end up as more of hindrance than a benefit. Also if I knew about all the corruption and terrible teachers I would probably sell everything from my house and my toothbrush to get my kid in private school so they don’t end up permanently disabled intellectually because stupid is contagious. Good luck to the rest of you parents, I’m raising my kids when I have them in Canada. -graduated NAHS 2011, had 2 siblings that also when through, if your kid isn’t already pretty smart, NAHS will be a failure for improvement, send them somewhere else.

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First to @another comment: A=B and C=D does not mean A=C or B=D. And your comment on Marta, residency and NAHS students shows you are certainly not knowledgeable about public schools or NAHS.
Second: I was a school counselor at Sutton Middle School for 18 years. For 14 of those years, I was privileged to work under 2 outstanding principals, David York and Mark MyGrant. David York reversed a trend by getting more neighborhood students to attend their public middle school versus private schools, and he helped make Sutton one of the best middle schools in the metropolitan area. After David York retired and after a few interim principals, Mark MyGrant came in and continued on with great success in encouraging neighborhood students to attend Sutton Middle School. Promoting the neighborhood schools, hiring exceptional teachers, and encouraging strong parent support, while still maintaining “Diversity is our Strength” at Sutton, were admirable goals that these two principals achieved.
I also was privileged to work with Reginald Colbert and Melissa Gautreaux, who were excellent teachers and co-workers.

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“APS is a neighborhood based school system except for the magnets that formerly existed at the high schools.”–Southside

Southside, thank you for your explanation. (sincerely)

I am an Atlanta Native and actually graduated from the school that is now North Atlanta HS so I would say I am pretty familiar with the situation.

I just think the city needs t QUIT busing kids across town to attend school. It has been a failure from the very start and only racial hatred has kept busing alive.

The Atlanta Public Schools dismal record of failure should be enough for any administrator with common sense to see that we don’t need MAGNET SCHOOL programs.

We as a society should get back to neighborhood schools where kids are being taught Reading wRiting, and aRithmatic. PERIOD.

Atlanta Public Schools are a failure and always have been ever since integration.

STOP SCHOOL BUSING!

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I’ve only seen one administrator removed in such a dramatic fashion in my career (although I’ve witnessed plenty of folks who have “disappeared” over the weekend for various reasons) and he was ultimately charged with child pornography. APS is either being really unprofessional (did they not think this action would make the blogs?) or something more serious than racist E mails will be coming to light. Something isn’t adding up here.

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Ok this is stupid they shouldn’t of fired…. All the students or at least most of them have grown a connection with the teachers. Y would they fire teachers like that? Oh and the aps is gonna loose alot of students and families!!!

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INCREDIBLE! If the administration wasn’t good enough or corrupt, as their dismissal shows, then WHY were they reassigned to other parts of teh school system?If they aren’t good enough for North Atlanta, then they wouldn’t be good enough anywhere else either.
A lack of explanation by Errol Davis is unforgivable.
You can’t come in and fire everybody without an explanation.
A “new day” just doesn’t cut it.

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Has anyone noticed that they replaced a white principal with a white principal? How can NAHS ever become anything but a Buckhead Betty private-within-a-public school with a white principal? Never mind, they are positioning it to become a charter school in the near future anyway.

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I am jumping in to correct this – The term “right to work” has NOTHING to do with an employer’s right to terminate an employee. Look it up. Second, if you don’t believe the employer should have this right (absent a contract), let us know when, as an employee, you want to give up your right to quit a job any time. Third, if you don’t like it, invest your money to start a business so you are not working for someone else.

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By now everyone should know that APS is run like a 3rd world dictatorship. I don’t know what’s going on; it could be any number of things. I’d hesitate to speculate. Knowing APS, I’d hazard a guess that this is not even the tip of the iceberg.
I also know a little about North Atlanta. My son graduated from NAHS’s IB program this past May. I know he got a wonderful education while he was there. He traveled Ecuador his junior year. His teachers were excellent. Not every one through all four years, but the vast majority. He was pushed, but there was empathy too when he screwed up. I think the fact that more IB students don’t pass the IB tests (or score high enough to earn an IB diploma) is more about the student and their households than it does about the curriculum. Parents have to understand what IB actually is and what it takes. It really requires tons of parental support, and it may be that parents really don’t know or aren’t willing to be there for the child while they are earning this extremely difficult degree. I’ll admit irritation, anger, and extreme disappointment that my son’s Merit Scholarship was announced at neither the Visions Baccalaureate program nor at graduation, but that doesn’t make the entire administration bad. Action this drastic has something else behind it.
And as for Harper-Archer- I know about there too. They need every bit of faculty and staff they can get get. Bless them.

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To all of you racists and to those of you who are racist but don’t know it. The war over the doctrine of Seperate but Equal was fought a long time ago. Seperate but Equal was defeated. The US Supreme Court ruled that this doctrine was inherently unequal. So, APS nor any other school system in this country will ever go back. Minority to Majority, Magnet programs, busing, etc. were developed as remedies to the segregated school systems of the past. Not so long ago, Dekalb County still under a federal desegregation order at the time, asked the Justice Department to withdraw the order citing that Dekalb schools were segregated because of the county’s housing patterns. i.e. Whites lived in the north and blacks lived in the south. The courts ruled that the Dekalb County School System was directly responsible for the housing patterns. Did I hear a news story the other day that said APS was still one of the most segregated school systems in the country? Seems to me that with the recent redistricting APS is looking a lot like Dekalb County, Not so long ago.

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The posts on this blog from the NAHS folks sure make a private school option attractive. I suppose that the job of leading a diverse public school in the APS is just impossible.

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The administration may change, but the “buckhead betties” are not going away.

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I do not have a dog in this fight, but I do have to share this world with you. Go back and read all of the statements posted here. Not only are the comments racist, but underlying tones of superiority because you happen to be caucasian with money. I’m sure many of you find the term “Buckhead Betty’s” offensive and it is because it is stereotypical. But I find when most of you refer to African Americans, they are free-lunch getting gangbangers whose parents are on drugs and don’t care about them. How about a little, love compassion and understanding. It makes our world a little nicer.

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@JAR-

With all due respect, it might come as big shock to you, but not everyone who lives in Buckhead is white (or rich, for that matter). The elementary school my children attend reflects the diversity of our zone and the school community is quite cohesive. It is not rascist to want my children to attend our neighborhood school or to demand a quality education for all the students that attend that school.

The schools in south Atlanta lack diversity. How is that the fault of families in north Atlanta?

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After reading all the comments on this, it’s clear that noone has any real understanding of this, not even MyGrath himself. Clearly there were unanswered questions and issues that went way beyond the school and its leadership, and someone (either Davis or someone trusted beneath him) decided the leadership needed to be removed immediately. That was done either to stop something that was about to become an issue or as retribution for something. Either way, we’ll never know the real details I’m sure. Considering the administrative mess left behind by Hall, I’m not sure I’d trust anything coming out of the central office in APS. Unfortunately, that is a system that is making us all look bad.

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To Another APS Teacher. I know your child, an Ivy Leaguer now, and kudos to you and your son for his accomplishments. Thank you also for bringing up the point that the IB Diploma is a very hard diploma to get, even for the most accomplished and driven student and the IB diploma program is open to every one of the students at North Atlanta High School. Thank you for your words of support for NAHS ,your son’s smiling face is missed and I hope he is doing well.

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Think they left anybody in place to administer the PSAT to the Junior class when we get back from Fall break? What a mess!

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its time for the feds to investigate APS, USG, and Erroll Davis.
something is not at all right

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Bussing was finished with last year’s graduating class. There are not currently any students being “bussed” to NAHS, though there are some who have applied to attend the school as an out of district student. There may be students who attend across district lines without express permission but official “bussing” no longer exists at this school – at least to my understanding.
Instead of turning on each other with stereotypical attacks, let’s work together to get through this transition for the benefit of our children. I don’t see how most of the dialogue on this blog helps anyone.
Thanks Maureen for keeping us informed. Thanks to parents (whether black, white,or brown, poor, wealthy, or somewhere in between) who support NAHS with whatever resources you can – whether time, energy, money, food, or all of the above. Thanks to faculty and staff who take their jobs seriously and take my child’s future seriously. Thanks to Melissa Gautreaux who helped us through the bus problems at the beginning of the school year. Thanks to Mr. Denine who tried to help us with scheduling problems this fall, even if we didn’t end up needing help.
I’m ready to “get on the bus” and work to get past this no matter what the circumstances because my child’s education is my priority. Hope to see you there.

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Regarding the recent developments at NAHS, I’m concerned about the following based on what I know:

1) APS’ motive in announcing the administration change on a Friday evening at 5 pm via robo-call and a letter on the website
2) We have been given no explanation yet as to why APS gutted our administration
3) Gutting our administration a week prior to our IB accreditation renewal
4) The impact this will have on our students, faculty and our move to a new building

It’s difficult to give APS the benefit of the doubt given the recent cheating scandal and the way they bungled the initial North Atlanta principal search.  Regarding the prior principal search,  we are still scratching our heads as to how an indicted former principal of a school APS had sued (Riverwood) made the list of finalists.  Serious questions of character and qualifications were also raised about  Mr. Richardson, the initial principal selection.

NAHS parents, students, and teachers deserve and demand information.  Expecting us to simply trust APS and Superintendent Davis isn’t good enough; APS hasn’t earned our trust.  We need transparency. 

As an elected member of the North Atlanta Local School Council, I urge parents and students to do the following:
1) Email and call Superintendent Davissuptoffice@Atlanta.k12.ga.us, Nancy Meisternmeister@atlanta.k12.us and Reuben McDaniel rmcdaniel@atlanta.k12.ga.us and tell them that we want a public meeting with them at North Atlanta High as early as Tuesday.
2) Let Superintendent Davis know that we have lost confidence in his ability to lead.   Tell Nancy Meister and Reuben McDaniel that we do not support the extension of Superintendent Davis’ contract; if they vote in favor of extending Davis’ contract, we will not support their re-election. 

This is not about the newly announced principal.  We will be supportive of our new principal.  This is about the unfortunate actions of Superintendent Davis and others which are greatly interfering with our ability to smoothly transition into our next chapter.

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I can think of no other reason to walk people out of their offices (before the buses had left) other than public humiliation.

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“The administration may change, but the “buckhead betties” are not going away.”

I have not once nor will I ever use the term “buckhead betties.”

I live in Buckhead. This is my local school. Our family is comprised of 2 working professional parents.

We cannot attend PTSA meetings that occur in the mornings, which is clearly a time geared toward non-working moms.

If you want to refer to those moms as “Buckhead Betties”, so be it. I won’t be referring to them that way.

I will simply say that all of the students at NAHS should be seen as important. The former principal should have been open to hearing from (and indeed responding to) working parents as well as his coffee klatch buddies.

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“Also, Davis has made comments about IB that were not favorable. I would not be surprised if this is the beginning of a move to dismantle that program in the cluster. It’s an expensive little program.”

Can you link where Davis made the remarks about IB? Maybe that would help explain some of this sudden action.

But you are right, IB is an expensive program. That is why it should be open to APS students citywide, not exclusive of a school in a wealthy neighborhood.

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5:55 PM I just received a robo-call from Errol Davis announcing a meeting for NAHS parents this Tuesday, Oct 9 at 6 PM in the NAHS auditorium. The messages said that Davis and other APS officials will be at NAHS to explain why they got rid of the current administration, and to answer parents’ questions.

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I have read all the comments up to this point. Many are objective comments of concern, however too mant are filled with racism, bigotry and pure intolerance. I am so pleased that my 3rd child graduated in 2008. She graduated in May 2012 fro St. John’s University and was an IB student at NAHS. She informed me of the departure of Mr. Mygrant and my desire to know what happened resulted in me reading the article and the blog.

I read many comments that were unfavorable, but true. I read many comments that are simply mean-spirited. But the comments that intimates that African American children have “parents who sell drugs, or lay down with multiple men is the most ignorant comment yet. @USMC: Tahnks be to God that you do not decide when a child should or should not be bussed across town to school. The sins from a not too distant past created bussing in public school.

My daughter said to me, “Mom, I am glad I am not at North Atlanta today. My friends might have been like these adults.” Some of you are shameful…I was reminded of the images of caucasian men and women who stood outside of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas when Central High was being integrated. Your hate is just as insiduous. North Atlanta High School is for children…keep your mean-spirits out!!!

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This whole blog conversation is largely embarrassing. With exception of a handful of useful, concerned comments people seem to only think of themselves, and their situation. @USMC It seems to me those angry about bussing should not be afraid to send their white children to a majority black school na dthen tell their neighbors about it… (race is certainly the underlying reason why the neighborhood abandonned their schools int he first place). And for the families upset abotu the “buckhead bettys” I can assure you if a white kid is at North Atlanta they are NOT prejudice 9.5 times out of 10. The very fabric that makes NAH the wonderful school is the immersion of different worlds! While yes there are clicks its a chance for the world to have families with millions next to families with not so much, to have the artsy kids with the international studies and if we could all look at the other persons side and the FACT that 9 out of tens leavign NAH LOVED their high school and did not share the frustration voices on here that would be great… My younger sisters go there and they are not “afraid” or worried about guns or racism, they go in get their education, goof around a little like any other highschooler and My reunion is this year and we WILL ALL be supporting each other, all this race tension, busing, politics etc aside; WE LOVE NAHS AND ALL ITS IMPERFECTIONS! So back of and volunteer there instead of bash it publicly especially without all the info.

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As a recent graduate of NAHS, I must say that Mark Mygrant was one of the most influential men I will ever know. He was more than a prinicipal; he was a friend. Media and cartoons from the past have represented principals as something to be feared among students, but Mr. Mygrant, he was someone you could look to for help and advice. Obviously, the board thought so too at some point since they were willing to implore him to come out of retirement and work again. As for these allegations, there is nothing from Mr. Mygrant’s track record or his character that would suggest he would be anything but fair and trustworthy. He would never hire someone a discriminating individual under any circumstance. I hope that APS understands that this treatment is unacceptable; furthermore, I hope parents take action to both fix and prevent this type of outrageous treatment. I know as a student that if the administration at my current university were all removed without explanation mayhem would surely ensue.

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The principals only get to chose among candidates sent them by APS.

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Just got a call that there will be a meeting Tuesday night at NAHS with APS.

As an aside, I would also like to thank all of those who support NAHS and the students through their donations of time, money , and involvement.

All of us are working to suport EVERY student .

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The legitimate concerns are very well stated, Dr. Frutiger. I hope you are enjoying your well-deserved retirement.

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Please excuse my typos in my previous post, but when it comes to APS mess, my eyes tend to cross and my fingers become numb.

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The problem with NAHS is a culture of inclusion and exclusion! Notice in every comment , the same tone is used by the speaker! APS has created a culture that is seeking to bring accountability to the North side of Atlanta. This type of action was taken during the so called cheating scandal under Dr Hall! Many of the parents of North Atlanta will use their influence to help there child! What about the segregation of students based on race and location of residence! IS small school is the location of the European American students but business and performing arts are 90 black students. The segregation of students and teachers are very apart just by walking into the building!

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We are in our 4th year at NA with 3 years before that at Sutton. During that time I’ve never needed to have a conversation with Mr. Mygrant. To me that is a sign that he was an effective administrator. Have we loved every teacher and every moment at Sutton and NA? Of course not. We’ve gone weeks without a permanent language arts teacher and had other frustrations. That is more a reflection of the way APS drags its feet when hiring, causing good candidates to take jobs elsewhere. I have met Mr. Colbert through the Julliard Jazz summer program. Is that prestigious and fantastic partnership going to be lost to NA because of the shameful way Mr. Colbert was treated? That would be such a loss. Students came from around the world to attend Julliard Jazz at NA. My senior has worked tirelessly toward her IB Diploma and she and her friends seem to be of the opinion right about now that that goal may be in jeopardy with the loss of Mr. Denine. I have to wonder if they really considered the ramifications to that program. The theater at NA is pretty small. There is no way that it will accommodate all the concerned parents Tuesday night.

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I know that bussing is not the true issue here. However as one of those kids who was bussed to Buckehead EVERY morning from MLK & Bankhead, from kindergarten to 12th grade (Garden Hills, Sutton, NAHS) I must say that to hear how my peer’s parent’s REALLY felt of me all those years is sad. The M to M program (as it was called- Minority to Majority) changed my life… I know that the “Buckhead Bettys” and their dedication to every school I attended helped make those schools awesome for me and their kids… while my mom worked 8-12 hour shifts everyday and could not attend PTA meetings it never meant she didnt care. You know what else my being there did? Those Buckehead kids loved us bussed kids all the same. We learned from them and they learned from us. Many of us are still friends today. This nonesense about race is the adults. The kids who are in that school everyday are fine with their classmates, just as we were.

Today I am a successfull, taxpaying citizen with kids of my own. I honestly wish they could go to school in Buckhead and have the same rich cultural experiences I had as a child. Unfortunately its clear they arent wanted there.

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We don’t need to hear from any other APS officials!! Of course any APS official that does not agree with Davis will be cut, chopped and packaged for delivery to the streets. So, Davis needs to do the talking at Tuesday’s meeting.

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First of all none of you parents know how bad this school was in 2008. My first year here I would walk by the bathrooms and almost on a daily basis smell weed. Fights were common, kids were constantly suspended and expelled, it was awful. Last year when I graduated it was a completely different school. Mygrant might not have responded to everyones emails but he definitely turned the school completely around. There is no racism going on at this school. Anyone can be in IB, anyone can be in Journalism, it is completely up to the student. Sorry that IB is predominately white? I had classmates of all races. It was up to who wanted to take the challenge. For the parents with kids there now let me tell you something you need to understand. Without Denine and Gautreaux this school is in for a world of hurt. Those two administrators kept everything in line as far as behavioral issues with students. John Ballard is also gone, who was easily the best employee in all of APS bar none. The best literature teacher in the school left last year. Its shocking as to why more great teachers arent leaving. This school is in for a world of hurt if they dont get things fixed.
To all of the people that are bringing up allegations around the valedictorian situation, everyone in that senior class, including the salutatorian knew it was legitimate. Lastly, IB is so far from “a joke” at North Atlanta that the person that wrote that must be enduring some sort of traumatic brain injury. It goes by the IB curriculum, meaning they arent APS standards, which is probably why it has created the success in the students that it has. Does everyone get the diploma? No. But, with exception of just a few students, everyone is at great schools doing well.

This school is racially divided on some levels but that is by no means the administrations fault. Ever since the day I got there, its been clear that a majority of the kids that are not in IB, regardless of race, are trying to take the easy way out. If your child really wanted a challenge, he/she could have easily joined the IS/IB program at any point in their highschool career. I’ve been in class with many business and PA kids before and the amount of disrespect they give to the teacher is horrific. It is not the administrations job to parent your child into being a good young adult, so if you find yourself blaming APS for your child being arrested and expelled then take a look in the mirror and understand that it is your fault and your childs fault. Not Mygrants. I just dont see how else this racial discrimination allegation can be seen. Especially bringing up the “buckhead girls” and their “pot brownies”. Pull your kids from this school before its too late. It will never get better unless they bring back the old team.

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I went to North Atlanta, Sutton, and Morris Brandon. I was not zoned for those schools but my mother was an educator for APS, so I was able to attend them anyways. My father retired as a high ranking manager from Delta Airlines while I was in high school, so I don’t feel I need to explain that I’m not from the hood. I was in IS and IB, I was in challenge, I was always on the Honor Roll and I stayed out of trouble.My neighborhood schools were the pits and I got the better education because my parents did what they had to do to make sure I could survive in the real world. I can’t help where I lived, but you’ll do what you have to do for your children to get the best in education. Realistically, no one is about to move to a new neighborhood, regardless of how much it will cost, just for their kids to go to a better school. Life does not work that way for everyone. Mr. Mygrant was a great leader to my middle and high school. Reading what people have accused him of is horrible. To be honest, when I was in high school and they began all the rezoning tasks, that was when all the riff raff came to North Atlanta that you all love to hate on and they went to their neighborhood school. APS is forever looking for ways to close schools in black neighborhoods, neighborhoods that have a higher density than all of buckhead. Everyone’s always trying to say that they’re closing the schools because of poor test grades, low enrollment, and over all poor performance. Well… if you close our schools instead of finding better administration to run them, the black kids from the South side will have no choice but to move further up North into your neighborhood schools. Instead of trying to clean Mr. Mygrant’s name as well as the other educators being framed for such an ugly accusation, everyone is on here trying to send those kids back where they belong. We get it, everything that is not white tarnishes your beloved Buckhead and your property values. I’ve always known that, so I worked hard so when people saw me, they did not think I was some black kid from the South side taking up space, but a young woman worth investing in. I am proud of where I came from. I will represent South Fulton for all of my childhood experiences that made me the woman I am today. I would not trade in my education or my parents’ decision to send me to school in Buckhead either. What I would change is the fact that from 1996-2009, all my years in APS from K-12, I had to prove I was worthy to be there. It doesn’t matter if I am black or not. If you want to weed out kids, go for the ones that do nothing in life and prove every day that they are a lost cause. You would be surprised about how many of them ARE NOT Black OR Hispanic. While I am on here I want to thank Mr. Mygrant, Mr. Denine,Ms. Gautreaux, Mr. AND Mrs. Colbert because without their leadership and their faith in all of their students, regardless of what they look like, I wouldn’t be in my 4th year of my 5-year Bachelor of Architecture Degree program at Tuskegee University. I would not have gotten the kind of support they give had I not gotten up every morning at 5 AM to catch the school bus. I would not have gotten that if I didn’t work hard. I wouldn’t have gotten this far in life if I had given into present day segregation. I am sorry for those of you who hate the idea of black kids in your neighborhood schools, you let APS do that, not Mr. Mygrant. There are more important things to argue about than kids not going to their zoned schools like losing a great leader that all of you would have been lucky to have as your principal.

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I have been employed with Atlanta Public Schools since 1990. I wanted to talk a little about
out of zone students in the North Atlanta cluster. In the 90s the economy was great, there are
private schools on every corner in Buckhead and the Buckhead wealthy filled the streets with traffic
to get their kids to Pace, Lovett, Galloway, and the rebuilt Atlanta International School.The
neighborhood schools were empty. Bus loads of children were transported from all over the city
to KEEP THOSE SCHOOL OCCUPIED as we all know Buckhead in not Vine City and Atlanta
could not leave a vacant building in Buckhead for 20yrs. Buckhead also took advantage of busing
NONE (believe me when I tell you None)
of the children that lived in the Margret Mitchell Neighborhood attended Margret Mitchell Elementry School (that was the school that the Hispanic and African American children attended)
The ( White children) were bused away from their “NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL” to Brandon,Jackson or Sarah Smith

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@The Truth… It is my sincere hope and prayer that your young and feable mind is developed and not clouded by poor judgement, a system of blatant disregard, disrespect and inhumane behavior. Yes, the school has changed but not for the better. Great leadership should be systemic…whether MyGrant, Denine or Gautreaux are at the helm of the school or not, the school should be able to operate and continue to operate. The fear of this administration leaving is not for the instructional program of the school but for the “microcosm” called IS/IB. Equity is not afforded to all students at NAHS. You simply do not know what you are talking about, so let me educate you. When your beloved, “best literature teacher” and Mr. Denine hold study sessions for a select population of IB students in their home without affording all candidate the same luxury is not equitable. When grade inflation occurs because students are in IB and receive weighted credit but do not sit for the exam, this is not equitable nor fair. When students break the law, but are not sent to ISS but are allowed to sit in Denine’s office as punishment, this is not fair nor equitable. By your own admission, “the school is racially divided on some levels”, … do you believe that this is best practice? Sorry, my dear…but a school should not be divided on any level, but I guess you are dillusional or suffering from traumatic brain injury to believe that separate but equal is acceptable. Lastly, there are no easy way out for any student or at least there should be, but may I ask…how many study hall classes have you taken and received an A for just showing up. Again, I stand on my declaration that IB/IS is a joke!! Simply, look at the data…and again, I ask, HOW MANY STUDENTS RECEIVED THE IB DIPLOMA in the last 5 years? If the program is so stellar, there should be more students receiving the diploma and the numbers don’t lie… it simple…either the students are not prepared well by the beloved IB teachers or the student dont take the exam serious…I beg to differ that it is the latter because your parents or the Foundation will not shell out all those funds to pay for an exam that you can’t pass. So, it’s simple… you are not prepared. Lastly, with regards to the culture of the school…my dear, please look under the rug, where much of the mess, drama and chaos of IS has been swept and you will see just as much mess as in the other SLCs. Change is a good thing…it was time for MyGrant and the adminstrative staff to move on. Look at Sutton, once he left Sutton..the school soared under the new adminstration. I’m quite sure the same will occur at NAHS. Again, I applaud Mr. Davis and his team for the courage to address the ills of NAHS and not be controlled by the parents, who simply have an agenda which does not include all students at NAHS

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To The Real Truth: If you are not there everyday do you really know more than someone who is? The IB reading groups and study sessions were open to any parent who wanted to attend. I take it that you were not interested in that book club. I know I wasn’t. As for the discrepancies in the number of students taking the IB classes and getting weighted grades, but never taking the test or taking the test and not passing: IB is hard. The amount of work is astronomical. The level of scholarship that is demanded from these students is equal to that demanded from a college student. To be successful in IB, a student needs to come prepared and they need to put in the work to stay prepared. And unlike the CRCT, the IB exams are difficult. The fact that a student can even sit for the test is an accomplishment. Every student at North Atlanta is not IB material, just as every student at North Atlanta is not PA material. But no one is complaining about that. If a student is not reading on grade level, or preferably above grade level; if a student doesn’t have a firm grip on mathematics, and if they think they can get by on charm, IB is not the place for them.
My son was challenged for the first time in his life at North Atlanta. He graduated number 15 in his class of 200+ (I think), and was eligible for a Zell Miller scholarship. That means that at least 15 students had grades higher than his, and he had a 3.8. Not all of these students were white either. Many of these high achieving students were not white. Someone who keeps up with the numbers would have to tell you that.
I spoke with a number of parents during my son’s tenure in the IB program. I wanted to know how they supported their student. Parents stayed up late with their kids while the kids were working. Families curtailed many social events. Parents discussed all of those strange and gruesome novels the students read and annotated and did journals and reports on. The students got chore relief at home/ many parents went back to cooking breakfast every morning. I did all of that, and took my son to school every morning that he missed MARTA, because his bus driver decided that she didn’t need to stop at his stop anymore. And I also communicated with his teachers and with John Denine.
I don’t know what goes on in Arts or Business, but I did read The Truth’s statement about the level of disrespect those students offer the teachers. Disrespectful students seldom do as well as those who want to learn. But I see that you didn’t care to address that. At some point, children and parents have to take ownership of their education. It is not always (it is not usually) the teachers fault, nor the school’s fault, if a high schooler does not succeed. And that’s not only at NAHS in the IB program, that’s everywhere.
I don’t know what happened at North Atlanta. I do know that getting rid of an entire administrative staff at once is beyond short sighted. It’s stupid. Somebody who knows what and how has to remain. I’m glad that my son is in college now. And I wish the best for the North Atlanta family.

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When I heard the herd what had happened on Friday, I was completely shocked and outraged. The administrators that were in place were not crooks or discriminatory in any way! I had a good relationship with all of them and they were very fair. I’m an average student. My parents aren’t exceptionally wealthy or involved in the school, but I was never looked down upon. To suggest that this has something to do with racist is preposterous! People will find “discrimination” anywhere they can. I’m sad to see all of these good people go, and I hope APS has some serious explanations, or I’m going to fight my way through their corrupted beauracracy to find one!

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I’m sad to see so many negative comments about NAHS, its parents, teachers, students, and administrators. I am glad to see that this is really only coming from a couple of posters who obviously have very strong feelings.
My main concern about the matter at hand is gettin some answers from APS. Based on the public statement yesterday, the decision to remove our administration was deliberated for quite some time. Then why not give written notice of the decision in advance? You’ve admitted there are no allegations or suspicions of wrong doing. Why wait until 5:00 on a Friday before a holiday weekend, spring this on everyone, and why show up with security? You gave a curt notice after the fact providing no real explanation and leaving parents, teachers, and students to look to the Internet for answers. And this is what we find.
Maureen, you have done an excellent job keeping us informed but the comments on this blog will do more damage to our school than any individual administrator could have ever done. This is an embarrassment.
If you don’t like NAHS, get involved and work to change it, go somewhere else, or keep quiet. And yes – my child is a minority and we are/were happy with the school.

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Principal – re: one hired in july, gone in three days – rationale: see racist twitter / blogs comments from parents and he goes back home within a few days (is this a ‘botched’ hiring process); assistant principal – withdraws from selection pool; internal academy leader interviews and gets back job at North Atlanta High School after first principal selected; retired principal ‘generously’ comes out of retirement to set up new principal to keep current support administration; note: all support administration actually hired from within after teaching only at North Atlanta High School; current administrative team sets up new PTA prior to arrival of new principal and is set to select floors and continue programming while conveniently setting up certain evaluators and teachers ‘legally’ to remove unwanted teachers prior to arrival at the new location; Tuesday faculty meeting set up to receive new principal with ready made internal transition team; new principal is ‘detained’; faculty and staff receive merely a second overview of employee handbook direct from H.R. never mind training already completed; Bloody Friday: administrators reassigned effective immediately; teachers are thanked for their service and notice of a ‘new’ North Atlanta is promised; conveniently, news picks up little white lies behind irregular internal hiring practices and internal strives to right wrongs ; racist attitude: North Atlanta High School is exempt from regularized practices of the AISS (?) with a full school year just past other schools restructuring and hiring new principals as well; parents encourage students to use themselves as human shields on Wednesday (the first day after fall break).

Stay tuned: parent protest on Tuesday (a planning day)

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The removal tactics used on Friday at NAHS were used several times in Dekalb County, to my knowledge. This Gestapo-like action is typically a power move, stylized by unprofessional and possibly corrupt county Higher-ups. As a teacher, I have witnessed similar actions. I have also dealt with county office stand-ins. Each one was incompetent. These people have failed and been reshuffled many times. The temps cannot manage anything. The people that work the hardest and are generally honest are the teachers. Yes, there are a few that are not adequate. That is why they become administrators. Those of us that truly want to teach stay in the classroom.

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Dear North Atlanta Parents,

Your child’s previous instruction at North Atlanta has been disturbingly uneven. But you will be pleased to know from now on, they will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of unchallenging subjects. They will be learning about the idea of critical thinking in a secure, risk-free way rather than actually practicing it. The administrators removed from their posts on Friday were irrationally obsessed by high expectations. It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge of critical thinking will be sufficient to get them through their examinations, which after all, is what school is all about.

Delores Umbridge
Ministry of Magic, APS

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@ Chris Murphy. My thoughts exactly. It was so refreshing after all of the nastiness from white AND black adults–many of them seeming to be parents– to read long, thoughtful entries from the students themselves. Especially moving were the testimonials from those who had been bused in from poor neighborhoods to the better Atlanta schools in Buckhead. The rationale of equity in education for such busing seems particularly evident in them.

@ Jeff A. Taylor. Indeed. It sounds as if principal MyGrant had been accumulating evidence for just such a lawsuit, although as I’ve already posted I think it may also involve reverse discrimination in APS hiring. I’d remind you of other recent local lawsuits involving reverse discrimination that were successful: white librarians in the Atlanta Public Library, and white deputies who had been fired when then-sheriff Victor Hill of Clayton County took office during his first term.

@ Robert. But white principal MyGrant was already retired when black APS Superintendent Davis asked him back to serve as interim principal. Also, MyGrant’s term as interim principal would have expired on Oct. 31 anyway–why remove him this way only 3 weeks ahead of schedule? Something else a lot more specific seems to be going on than old-fashioned racism.

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I’m convinced Mygrant discovered something he was not supposed to.

only reason I can think of for being tossed the way he was. plus it makes a statement to other people who might want to speak out.

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Buckhead please, go back to Private Schools and let the Davis camp try to make some since out of this mess that Dr Hall and the Buckhead Coilition fostered. To all of the Buckhead Bettie’s stay home and bake some brownies for the PTA bake sale to help raise money for the $125.00 Kindrergarten fees in your cluster. You have gotten toooooo involved and “That” has hurt the decision making process
You packed the School Board meetings with all of your so called independent studies and bogus data and the District fell for” All “of your tricks” This is a Public School System take all of this madness back to Private School the children in this district have suffered and will continue to suffer as long Buckhead
hold the attention of the School Board. APS, listen to the voice of the “Reasonable” if you can stay awake long enough to here it. Buckhead Coilition give others a chance to be heard. You bring in all of these people to sign up at board meetings some don’t even have children in our district. You just out right Take Over the board meetings shame on you all!!!!!!!

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Gregory Middleton, the interium assistant principal for North Atlanta was previously employed as the principal at Tubman Elementary School in Fulton County Schools. The interium Human Resources Director is Michael Gray, retired HR Director from Fulton County Schools. Steve Smith, Assistant Superintendent was previously a principal in Fulton County Schools. All of these individuals are stellar educators.
However, I am still concerned about a new principal taking the reins with such upheaval.

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@NAHS Alumni (c/o ‘94), I am assuming we know each other and just wanted to let you know that I fully appreciate your comments. People still talk about “bussing” like it is a dirty word but my education was better for it. In my estimation, the outrageous, narrow-minded comments being posted here do not reflect the opinions of current parents or anyone associated with the school. They appear to be outsiders using this unfortunate situation as platform to spew their unrelated views. Your peers’ parents did not hold these bigoted opinions. Your comments on what M to M meant to you and your family brought tears to my eyes and show that if these outrageous posters had the benefit of the experiences we had, they would know different.

I am sad that today’s students are having to deal with these disruptions and distractions and do not see how any of this puts the kids first. That said, we had an incredibly high level of transition during our four years and managed to get a great education anyway. I have only been involved at North Atlanta in a peripheral way in recent years but whether it is volunteering for a program in the IB Economics class or attending Red Hot Jazz, I am always impressed by how dynamic, talented, and interesting North Atlanta students are. I always leave those experiences heartened by the positive momentum at the school and with a renewed commitment to keep my kids in APS through high school. That is a testament to the teachers and administration. I am hopeful that the board will not continue to act with what appears to be a paternalistic approach that they know what is “right” and the community does not. Communication and transparency have no where to go but up.

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The facts are… if Denine, Gautreaux, Brazil and Fairley-Nelson (whom none of you have anything good to say about and I attribute that to the fact that she is the B and E Academy Leader) are so good…well they have just been assigned to school where their talents, expertise and knowledge will serve well the children of Atlanta Public Schools. So, why all the fuss? An adminstrator works to serve children, not a community or a specific building!!!

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Ms. Fairley-Nelson has only been at the school a short time and is, consequently, not nearly as well know as the others. From what I have heard, the B and E Program has made great strides under her leadership. I would hope that parents who know her well would be relied upon to speak in her behalf if she, or any of the others, actually need defending. It should also be pointed out that nothing negative has been said about Ms. Fairley-Nelson in any of the comments so I am unclear why there is the innuendo about the “B and E Program” in the comments by The Real Truth.

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I think it’s a disgrace how several commenters are displaying racism. Do you not know that historically, Buckhead was a predominantly Black neighborhood? You sound like Arkansas’ ignorant governor. You don’t live in a colony or on a plantation! The fact that you would speak so disrespectfully of your own mother says a lot about your character.

I have a child who graduated from North Atlanta and one attending Riverwood now! I luved in Buckhead most of my life until I moved to Sandy Springs. From my experience Riverwood is one pf the most racist schools I’ve ever set foot in! The administrators at the school and the district are notorious for covering up dirt. Most of the teachers we’ve encounteted have proven to be incompetent as well. Didn’t Riverwood lose a lot of teachers and counselors and other leaders? Why? Because they spoke out against some of the things going on or they just weren’t party of the “it click”. Let’s not talk about the drug issues there (need I mention the demographics of drug users? )

Yes, there are tons of issues at North Atlanta. They need to gut out some of the teachers,

Yes, the PTA does run the school, just as they have at Sutton, and the elementary schools for years.I personally witnessed more than one occasion of specific women yelling at Mr. MyGrant until they got their way, Nancy Meister included when she was PTA president.

How do we change things? Become and stay involved. Help a child or a parent not because of their color, but because you care.

Bottomline, we should be concerned about the quality of education for ALL students, no matter their race, religion, color, or creed. We do live in a diverse country and world. If you want to segregate your child from children of other races based on your preconceived stereotyped notions, you need to purchase a remote island on which you and yours can live.

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@North Atlanta Mom, regarding Davis and IB…here’s what I can find online…
http://buckhead.patch.com/articles/davis-expresses-irritation-at-community-responses#video-9107669

But I sat in redistricting meetings and watched him grow visibly irritated regarding IB status questions. And I wasn’t the only one that noticed.

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Also My Son is a NAHS Grad C/O 1998

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Not only are these people that are being extracted from the school very dedicated to what they do at the school, but they are actually dedicated to the students themselves. These administrators actually know the students by their names and not only their SLCs. Any student that has attended the school or still does, can easily identify with more than one of these administrators from not only recognition due to their position but what they have personally done for or with them to help them better their education and time at NAHS. These administrators are very involved with the students whether it is for academics or personal well being. They do tasks all the way from finding a lost student’s bus number, to coordinating events, to resolving fights, to meeting students and teachers and simply so much more! I know, personally, being a graduate of the International Baccalaureate Program, that I can identify with these administrators not only in the classroom but outside of the classroom as well. They have come into classes and taken their time to positively input whatever they can into as many students as possible. As for the accusations on racism and misdoings, I can personally say that even though I am a minority in terms of ethnicity, I have been treated equally and have never witnessed anyone else being treated differently due to their race or social status by any administrator. They are all very welcoming and helpful!

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@ Mom of Education Amen!!!!!!

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@ Sara ‘94… yes I’m sure we know each other… we all knew each other… I won’t say my name because I am currently an administrator in the very APS we speak of. I’m sure many of my colleagues are reading all of this just as I am. You have no idea what your post means to me. Thanks! Seems like some people need to take notes.

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@ Prof, Erroll Davos is about as black as Clarence Thomas.

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Att: All Buckhead Residents Your $8000.00 Prorerty Taxes are NOT EQIVALENT to PRRIVATE SCHOOL TUITION!!!!!! This is
The ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM and Mr.Erroll Davis is going to RUN THIS SHOW now take that to your coffee talk for discussion!!!

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@Nahs parent I know first hand about that Nasty Group PTA up there I have a son in Middle School
that attended an Elementary School in your cluster. Where I work is not the issue,my voice today is that Parent that has attended many school board meetings, that parent that can attend coffee talk, that parent that does attend PTA meetings; and you want to attack me. It is you and I do mean all of you who have given a different meaning to the words Parent Involvement and PTA it is called the takeover.

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I know enough to keep my child far away from “Your Neighborhood School” Mrs Nahs Parent!!!!!!!!!!

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As an alumni of North Atlanta it pains me to see Mr. Mygrant and his administrative team treated with such disrespect. All of them went above and beyond to make NAHS a great place to go to school and I respected them as administrators and now as friends. They cared about all of their students and were part of our everyday lives. They shaped the students that graduated from North Atlanta and are proud of each and every one of them.

It is amazing to me that an entire administrative team can be removed by one man who has no idea what its like being a student at North Atlanta. NAHS was a great place to go to high school and I know everyone I graduated with would say the same. I feel for all of the outraged students, parents and teachers and hope that Mr. Davis is well prepared to answer them on Tuesday.

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I just read in the Northside Neighbor how average SAT scores of NAHS are below the average for the state of Georgia. Considering how our state ranks nationally, wow, that’s pretty hard to do. How low can you go? Now I’ve read on this blog that NAHS has also failed to meet AYP standards for many years. It shouldn’t come as a shock that a change in leadership is needed. This principal may have been a nice guy, but the scores and the grades obviously aren’t there! He wasn’t getting the job done. Out with the old, in with the new… Maybe not handled in the most sensitive manner, but get over it people. Perhaps the new principal can produce some better academics and scores. A Buckhead school below the Georgia average is pathetic.

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I hear a lot of anger in your comments, NCCB. You clearly resent what you consider over involvement by certain parents in your children’s PTAs. But what scares me is that I can’t tell what level of involvement would suit your preference. It feels threatening. How much is too much? Can I let you intimidate me from making any effort to pitch in? If I do, does that not make you a bully?

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@ Mom who cares – you just can’t win with those kinds of parents. They want the benefits that come with a school zone filled with involved parents (that means time AND money pumping into the schools) but then they resent the very people that make the schools successful. And any success at APS is in spite of the system, certainly not because of it. Let’s not kid ourselves.

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@ Mom who cares – don’t feel intimidated. TCCB is the type of parent who wants a great school for his/her child, but doesn’t realize what it takes to get a great school – loads and loads of parent involvement like you and I are willing to provide. Parents like TCCB construe it as meddling or overreaching. Parents on this blog have even mentioned that teachers at NAHS are asking for parental help, so they’re in obvious need. If Buckhead Betty and friends weren’t volunteering to help at NAHS, I’d hate to see those test scores go even lower than they already are! You can’t kick a gift horse in the mouth!

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@entitlement society.. hooray… TCCB is ridiculous.. on so many levels… not even worth the discussion.

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Just when you thought APS had no where to go but up, this happens. How much more can we as a community tolerate? We get the cheating scandal, the SACS probation, the system wide redistricting full of political maneuvering at the expense of children and taxpayers (and still going on), and now a hostile takeover of NAHS with no explanation. The feeble trust I had left in APS is completely gone. To APS: you better come up with a pretty convincing story about why you had to carry out this surprise attack Friday afternoon. Let’s set aside whether or not the principal was good or bad; whether there was racial bias or not. This principal was leaving this very month–what could have been going on that was so bad that required immediate action? What could be so bad to require instant removal, yet simultaneously not so bad that academy leaders were fired–instead they are simply being reassigned. That doesn’t add up. Something is rotten in Denmark, and based on past history, I suspect the smell is coming from downtown.

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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.

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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..

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“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.

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@ teacher

Sincerely hope “teacher” is not really in charge of educating young fragile minds.

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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.

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@ 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.

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[...] 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… [...]

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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.

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@ APS High Schools in Practice
October 8th, 2012
1:56 pm. You are on the money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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@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.

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@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!!!!!!!!!!!

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@Cissy…sorry you didn’t get the memo but the brownies had pot in them.

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@ 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.

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@ 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.

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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…

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@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.

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@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.

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@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.

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The meeting tonight is going get very unruly, loud, angry and scary, I predict.

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@ NAHS alum-2001. WONDERFUL POST.

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@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.

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“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!”

The issue has become crystal clear.

Certain people are not used to or comfortable with black people being in positions of power.

Hence all of the delusional cries of “reverse racism”

The quote above takes the cake. Completely devoid of reality. Completely insensitve to the hundred years of terror that the KKK reigned down on this country.

If you want to talk about a “race card,” look no further than the one you are trying to play simply because you cannot handle black people in positions of power.

For shame.

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Fritz –

White administrators ha ve done the same. As I recall, there was a field trip IB students took to the High Museum a few years ago, during which many if the students were caught on camera raiding the museum store, stealing items and walking out. The majority of the students involved were white. Should I mention the white male student who snorted lines in my child’s class? He was white and went unpunished. Should I mention how one teacher told a dark young black student how he frightened her, because he was so dark he blended in with the blackboard and she couldn’t see him. She told him not to stand or sit there so she could see him. Or, about how she made all of her black students in this class sit in the back of the classroom? Or how several of the parents, including me took proof to Denine that she was grading unfairly and he wouldn’t make her change the grade until Mygrant stepped in. A white child would make an A on a test, but a black child with the same answers would make a C or a D. I know of at least three black teachers who have told students of how they hate whites in front of the entire class if blacks, whites, and other races. I’ve been there and witnessed a lot of these things first hand. So, it’s not just a issue with blacks, there’s an overall problem at the school. It’s not the students, but certain teachers, certain PTA lesfersinterference and members, some ofof the teachers, and two administrators I personally have deslt with, neither of which include Mark MyGrant. It’s funny how the kids don’t have racial problems eith each ither, but the adults are the core problem.
As far as North Atlanta not meeting AYP, it’s the teachers whowe’ve need to go. I always tried to mske sure my child had the best one, but there are some awful ones teaching AP and IB classes. Davis should have gutted the entire school in June and rehired who was qualified and let go of who wasn’t.

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There will be an appropriate time and place for all of those who have concerns about the quality of teachers, racism, the inequitable distribution of funds and so on at North Atlanta High School. But that time is not now.

Right now the community needs to put their dfferences aside and focus on what is happening to their school,. Last night the comunity was deceived. They were told that North Atlanta High School was failing and was about to be taken over by the state of Georgia. This is not true. Please read today’s blog written by Maureen Downey (the host of this blog) entitled “The morning after: Did Erroll Davis provide a convincing case for the North Atlanta High shakeup?” She makes it clear that North Atlanta High is not on either of the States lists of poor and underperforming schools. Actually, only two high schools in APS, Mays and North Atlanta High, are not on these lists,. Please read this article,.

The real question is why these drastic changes were made if North Atlanta High School is not failing? The second question is “what are you going to do about it?”

Facts you should know:
1) the superintendent states that IS students were performing well. But Denine was removed anyway.
2) Ms. Fairly-Nelson and Ms. Brazil were Academy Leaders for only 1 year. They could not have been part of the long-term, systemic pattern of “failure” described by the superintendent, but they were removed.
3) Mr. Colbert was the longest serving Academy Leader, but he had already retired so he was gone anyway.

So, if the school was not on the State’s list of failing schools as we were told and if the Academy leaders were not part of the long-term problem cited by the superintendent, why were they removed?

Politicians have an interest in keeping the public distracted by bickering over personal issues. These issues are important in the long-run but they can serve to keep people from focusing on the real issues at hand at the moment, The North Atlanta community needs to focus now on the issue of who is running their schools and how they are running them. Education suceeds when there is strong community involvement in schools and the decision-making related to schools. It is time to put aside the grievances and focus on doing what is best for the students of North Atlanta High School.

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As a thirty-year northside ( not Fulton) teacher, I can tell you that it speaks volumes that a diversity of students, particularly African-Americans, took the time to blog support for Mygrant and the staff. It sounds to me that Mygrant valued professionalism and standards above political correctness and being a sycophant for central office politicos. The IB program is criticized as being “too small” or “too selective”, but only the few, maybe 5%, can handle the rigors. Student’s academic skills, motivation, and discipline must be extremely high to succeed. I see the same thing at my high school, where few students are willing to take AP or IB courses. As for the Buckhead Betties (first time I have ever heard that!), every affluent community has zealous moms who want to participate in their kid’s schools. We should be glad that they aren’t (but could be) just more “Housewives of Orange County” who live self-indulgent lives of $100 lunches, designer clothes, ignore their kids as bothersome (or get rid of them via boarding schools) and take wealth and privilege for granted. Those of us who are baby boomers fondly recall the days where close to 100% of suburban lower to middle class moms participated in PTA. With few exceptions, PARENTS are the main reason kids succeed. Teachers, however, can take well-parented kids to greater learning heights. I can understand not being able to make some PTA meetings, but EVERY parent can make 2 a year. That is what sick and vacation time can be used for. That is another argument for smaller districts, as many bloggers emphasized. The school districts up north are so good in part because they are not huge sprawling, Balkanized areas like Fulton or DeKalb. Smaller districts allow parents to get to schools quickly, and they also tend to be more culturally cohesive.

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My experience with APS just at the elementary school level has been three things 1) shocking, 2) disturbing and 3) sad. There are so many issues on so many levels. Lack of judgement, unwillingness to discipline extremely badly behaved children and some real incidents of reverse racism have all surfaced in the few years I have had my children in public school. I can’t EVEN BEGIN to imagine what parents have to deal with at the middle school and high school levels. Was I surprised when I read this story about Principal MyGrant? Sadly, no. There appears to be no professionalism and no judgement in APS. I truly feel for any legitimate educator who has to work within this system. I really do.

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