Wednesday, August 27, 2003
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Wednesday, August 27, 2003 |
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Black group rejects letter's 'blame' for low test scores By J. FRANK LYNCH
What was billed as a "Town Hall Meeting" at Holly Grove AME Church to discuss education concerns in Fayette County turned into a verbal ambush against the school district on Saturday, with Superintendent John DeCotis and his administration in the crosshairs again. The issue wasn't bus service, however, but the impression that black students were being blamed for six Fayette schools failing to meet the state's requirements for "Adequate Yearly Progress." A form letter prepared by county office administrators but signed by each school's principal was sent home to parent's last week to explain the AYP results, but instead appeared to point the blame at black and disabled students, African-American parents said Saturday. Fayette schools scored well above the minimum requirements for scores, but sixfailed to show at least 95 percent of black or disabled students were tested. Those schools are Fayette County and Sandy Creek high schools and Rising Starr, Flat Rock, Fayette and J.C. Booth middle schools. Saturday, outraged parents wanted to know why their children were falling through cracks in the district's testing system, a position that visibly surprised DeCotis and school board member Lee Wright, also in attendance. "It never occurred to me that somebody would read that letter and interpret as pointing blame or being discriminatory," said Wright, addressing the crowd. DeCotis assured the 100-plus parents in the audience there was no intent to "place blame" on black students. He said his staff was convinced that errors were made in the recording process and that the schools in question did, indeed, test at least 95 percent of students as required. He said he would write another letter clarifying the issue this week. Appeals on all the schools were to be filed with the state this week, DeCotis said. Beyond the AYP concerns, parents rose to take issue with the system's policies, particularly those that relate to discipline and records keeping, and questioned the lack of more Afro-centric offerings in the curriculum, as well as more black teachers in the classroom. Occasional charges that seemed outrageous or inflammatory one man said he knew "for a fact" of a strip-search of students at a high school last spring were generally shouted down or dismissed. Many of the parents in attendance expressed an opinion that school district employees were insensitive to black families, while others stood to praise DeCotis and his administration, instead saying the problem lies with individual classroom teachers. According to the state Department of Education Report Card, Fayette schools were 15 percent African-American at the end of the 2002 school year. The county population was 11.5 percent black in the 2000 Census. Along with DeCotis and Wright, the forum organizers invited Assistant Superintendent for Operations Wayne Robinson and district Teacher of the Year Jan Daniel of Fayette County High. Joining them at the event, described by one organizer as intended to be "informative and enlightening," were Ashley Maner, a senior at McIntosh High, and Carolyn Jones, a Fayette County resident and mother. Maner and Jones are black, while all four of the school system's invited representatives are white. DeCotis said his administration has been aggressively pursuing qualified black teachers, and has appointed black administrators in key positions at several schools. Each of the county's five high schools now has at least one African-American on its administrative staff. And as of July 1, Fayette schools have an African-American as second-in-command: Deputy Superintendent Fred Oliver. But Oliver, who might have provided insight into some of the parents' complaints, was not invited to Saturday's forum, hosted by the Fayette County NAACP Branch Education Committee and an organization called the Public Policy Development of the Southeast Region Inc., or PPDI. Discussion moderator Don K. Speaks, a motivation speaker and counselor from DeKalb County, reminded the audience members on several occasions that the purpose of the forum was to "open discussion and dialogue, not place blame." State Rep. Virgil Fludd, a resident of north Fayette, stood at the end of the presentation to remind parents that education "starts at home," and said they should have but one expectation when they enroll their children in Fayette schools. "You have a right to expect that your child will get the same education, fairness and opportunity as any other student in Fayette schools," said Fludd, whose children attended Sandy Creek High. "From my work at the Capitol, I can assure you this is the best school system in the state," Fludd said. "Find ways to work with the schools, get involved, know your child's teachers." PPDI founder and director Delvonnie M. Burgess said this was the first event organized by her group, based in Fayetteville, with an eye toward influencing education policy across the Southeast. "Our reach is into seven states," she said. Asked if there were plans to launch initiatives in other areas, Burgess said Fayette County was the only school system on the agenda so far. Burgess said she has worked with DeCotis on a number of issues in the past. The PPDI has a Fayetteville post office box mailing address, and lists Burgess' home phone and e-mail address for contact. An entry for Public Policy Development of the Southeast Region, Inc., on the Secretary of State's website shows Burgess registered the group on April 16 of this year, but it is considered "non-compliant" because the proper annual fees were never paid. Burgess is registered with the Secretary of State as a lobbyist for Atlanta Medical Associates, a doctor's group, and DMB & Associates. which was "administratively dissolved" as a corporation for failure to pay annual registration fees. DMB & Associates last paid the fee on April 15, 1998. Burgess said PPDI has eight board members, but none of them were listed on the link provided off the state's website. One man introduced as an officer in the group said he lives in DeKalb County and his only Fayette County connection was Burgess.
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