Look at what goes on in other county school system's. (Clayton)
Do we want that? Disruptive students no matter what color should
be punished. If parent's don't like it, home school. Keep the trouble
makers out of the public schools.

I hope the shift is for the better as diversification can add enlightenment. As an African-American living in this county for over 10 years I've seen some changes and have concerns as well. I agree if students are severely disruptive and there is no parental involvement, there should be alternative educational programming or home schooling. Unfortunately there is no remedy for bullies and truants in the mainstream environment. Teachers/administrators should have the recourse to deal with these problems without giving preferential treatment. I've not seen more kids in my life suffering from privilege and entitlement complexes! Kids display in class what's modeled at home, as many are disrespectful to parents, are rewarded with many material things yet are generally bored and ungrateful.
I pray my 17 year old has the conviction to resist the temptations of promiscuity that are rampant, and that parents find a way to monitor the activities of their kids in those hours between 3:30pm - 5:30pm Mon-Fri. The number of registered pedophiles is so high in this county it's frightening! And with the influx of people whether by displacement or relocation seeking a better way of life, things have changed. But no, it wasn't a paradise before we got here, but with work and tolerance it can be a good community where people can co-exist.

If race wasn't an issue than why do you keep bringing up minorities? Are you saying the minorities aren't entitled to have a good life and a good education? WHATEVER! And the other comment about PTC being "too white" You hit the nail on the head! Most of the rude and disrespectful children are the upper and middle class children, guess they get that from their parents because the parents are the ones letting them act like that at home! Where is the discipline at? Heck the ones that have been written about in the newspaper were supposedly "outstanding" students, bringing knives to school and whatever else. What about the two students that committed suicide? Weren't they from upper/middle class families? And you moved to Fayette County to bring your children up in a better environment?! Fayette County is the same as any other county in the United States, you are going to have it wherever you go! So stop being a close minded racist!

The issue here is not race it's parents involved in their child's education. There is a specific reason why kids do good in Fayette Schools, parental involvement. There are some parents who feel that if they just put their kids in the school system, they will do well. In most cases this does not happen. Look at the high achievers and you will see parents that are active in the eductaion of their child. Our county is changing as the numbers show. What I want to see are the average test scores per school and how active are parents in each school. I could care less what the color of my neighboor's skin is. I care about how they are raising their children because that will affect the school system.

I retained one of mine in the Fayette system. Granted, that was before NCLB. I didn't have to fight or argue my point. It was all about social maturity though, not academics.
Mom to 3, plus a few strays

Why does it matter what color your skin is? It doesn’t, but it does mean that those who've lived in Fayette County or made the decision to move their family here knowing it had good schools, clean communities, friendly people, less traffic, decent shops, and an all around southern charm about it shouldn't have to bear the burden of accommodating the social and civil standards of new folk moving into their town either!

Did you ever stop to think that the minorities moving in could be coming in from certain less than desirable socio-economic and geographic backgrounds to take advantage of what is currently being offered here? Let’s all be honest and call it out for what it really is, it all about maintaining and elevating a social and civil standard of living. Nobody wants to digress for the sake of being diverse.

Did YOU ever stop to think that the minorities moving in are highly educated, affluent, hard-working, business owners, and dedicated parents who can afford to live here? We are people who care about the education of our children,our property values, and standards of living. Having me as a neighbor and my children as your children's classmates is definitely NOT a burden! We can only enhance and enrich yours and your families lives. You will soon be faced with the choice of stop being so closed minded and respect the diversity among you or move. And most likely, at your next residence, your next door neighbor will be ANOTHER highly educated, affluent, hard-working, dedicated minority that can more than afford to live there as well.

My neighbors who moved in from Clayton County were quite the contrary. They were not highly educated, well spoken, affluent or hard working.They caused more unrest in my neighborhood than I've ever seen. Their house was in forclosure at least 3 times before they were finally forced to move much to the relief of the entire neighborhood.
We would have loved to have had "highly educated, affluent, hard-working" & "dedicated minority" neighbors. It just did not happen.

If you are law abiding, decent, and can pull your weight then welcome to Fayette County. But I am not in favor of bringing in people that will be a problem or burden to the rest of us just to achieve some quota. If that makes me racist then so be it !

I get the point. What I don't get is why in 2005 that the point still needs to be made.

Mom to 3, plus a few strays

So are you basically saying the "minorities" which we know you are talking about "black" people aren't entitled to good schools, clean communities, friendly people, less traffic, decent shops, and as you say all around southern charm? You need to wake up out of your little "sheltered" world you live in! Stop living with stereo types and think outside the box! I can't tell you the last time that some one has accidently bumped into me at the store and actually said excuse me or went into a restuarant where the waiter/waitress was actually polite and didn't act like I was interrupting her. Grow up people!

The racist attitudes I'm seeing here really scare me. One of my major issues for many years was that PTC was too white. I, for one, am glad to see it become more diversified. And most of the people I know that don't have good manners or social graces aka "class" are white and upper middle-class or wealthy.

Mom to 3, plus a few strays

If you do not like "white and upper middle-class or wealthy" people you should not have moved to Peachtree City. Your lack of logic really scares me. As for your "too white" reference; Let someone say something is too black & see what kind of reactions happen. Saying "PTC was too white" illudes that white people are something negative. Such nastiness.

You really should have read all that I wrote within the thread. I have no problem with "white" people. I am white. I have no problem with the upper-middle class or wealthy. I fall in those ranks somewhere. I do however want my children to be exposed to people of many ethnicities/races who are trying to live the good life like we are. When I first moved to PTC, I did not realize how much it lacked in diversification but am glad to see that changing.

Mom to 3, plus a few strays

Nope. I read every word you submitted & meant what I wrote. I call them as I see them & your words speak for themselves.

See it how you like. Being able to say what we think is part of what makes this country great, and me proud to be a soldier's wife. Personally though, your responses to my post seem to lack more logic than what you accuse me of.

Mom to 3, plus a few strays

I'm sure someone of your stellar calibur can point some high powered perception @ yourself & admit that you not only made a perversely poor choice of words but also did Peachtree City & the entire white population a gross injustice by referring to Peachtree City as "too white".

What exactly do you mean "too white"? I feel this is a racist attitude.

What are we going to gain by becoming more diversified. Union City became more diversified and look at it now. I do not think the majority wants this city to take a nose dive.

First, I am white, so my saying PTC was "too white" for too long is hardly racist. Secondly, having a VARIETY of ethnicities, races, religions, etc will not cause PTC to take a "nose dive". Community involvement from the residents is what keeps a town a good place to live, not what color their skin is, not their religion, not their ethnicity, not how much money they make. We have been fortunate to have a good number of Japanese families living in our town, and are seeing more and more people from other backgrounds move here. This is a good thing. If we want people to be involved though, those who are already here need to make them feel welcome (even if they don't have $, and live in our fixed-rent apartments (like Harmony Village). If people aren't made to feel welcome, they won't become involved. For example, a friend of mine lives in Harmony. We've talked about this race thing. She told me that when she first moved here, her child's teacher assumed she was single (she's married), and then at the end of the school year, was surprised the family hadn't moved because so many move in to Harmony, and move again quickly. Perhaps they don't stay because they aren't made to feel welcome??? PTC is a good place to live, I have considered leaving but really, the more I think about it, no place is perfect. The important thing to do is work towards improving it. This ramble is over...

Mom to 3, plus a few strays

While it is apparent that we are seeing more minorities in Peachtree City, and Fayette County there are guidelines that we are held to legally. Every city has to have a certain number of homes that are affordable for the poor and minority. There is also the government programs such as Section 8 housing that allow more poor, and minority people to afford to live in these areas. The ceiling on the rent on the homes that allow Section 8 is over $1000.00 per month. That is very inviting to people that wouldn't normally be able to afford that luxury. What the city, and people need to do within the legal boundaries would be to enforce City Codes and ordinances pertaining to quality of life issues. Homeowners associations and landlords need to take action instead of making idol threats. There are quite a few landlords in Peachtree City that allow their rental properties in Wynnemeade to look atrocious and would rather banter with the HOA than promote quality of life. The Fayette County School Board needs to take action as well. They hold themselves higher on the pedestal than other counties and therefore should react to illegal students with the same passion. To summarize, we all need to quit being lazy and become more involved in these issues instead of allowing ourselves to become complacent leaving all to the city officials to handle.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg when the hand of the Federal Government gets involved in our lives....meeting quotas. I moved to Georgia about 36 years ago. I started out living in East Point and then had to move to College Park; then on to Old National Highway area; then to Riverdale; then to Forest Park; then to Jonesboro; then to Fayetteville. This is called "white flight"...and while I do not judge a person by the color of their skin, I do see what is so plain before my eyes. When we are forced to lower our standards of living, including the standards of our schools, to meet a federal quota, the quality of life goes down. To maintain a high quality of life is one reason everyone of all colors and races strive to improve their lot in life. Take a look at the mess Clayton County is in. I lived there for years and saw the racial change coming for years before finally quitting my job there and moving here...and now I'm seeing the same thing happen to Fayette County. A little research will show how many businesses and people have left Clayton County and moved to Henry or Fayette County. I don't care what color my neigbor is as long as they worked and made their way there the same as I did. I do not want a neighbor who the federal and state government has handed to them what I have worked and sacrificed for so many years. I appreciate my house that I have work for and pinched pennies and bought on my own. But what about the guy next door that doesn't work most of the time, and his house payments are about a third of what I pay because he has Section 8? What gives him the right to have that?!! And, yes, sadly, the school system is on a dive. I agree that some children need more help than others in learning --- and that should be provided. However, if a child is not capable of performing on his or her grade level, that child should have to repeat. But nooooo....we have No Child Left Behind....Just another hand-out. The children that put forth the effort to learn get the same as those that don't. What's the reward for a job well done? Fayette County is going to become another Clayton County in the near future and all we seem to be able to do is sit back and watch. I'm tired of moving. Lawdawga

Quoting Lawdawga: "When we are forced to lower our standards of living, including the standards of our schools, to meet a federal quota, the quality of life goes down."

Amen Lawdawga! Your post is right on the money. I think the majority of Fayette Countians feel the exact same way.

Yeah,I grew up in New York, Yeah, I'm black and "YEAH" I live in Fayette County. First, white people never really get to know blacks, so before you make comments about us, take a walk or talk.
Most blacks in Fayette make more money and have brought there bags of cash with them from the Northeast. So, trashed counties like Clayton "ain't going happen". Most of the blacks in Fayette live in the richer more pleasing subdivisions. The range is 300,000 to over 1 million. So excuuuuse me!!! if my bringing my bag of money gets you pissed enough to be called racist. We Northerners who have come and intergrated your schools not only have the money to live here but even exceed your incomes. The last time I looked north I saw two sky scrapers fall and blacks and whites ran for there lives together. NOW! you racist who forgot this didn't take into account that most of the blacks here left that.

But as we know you fayette's who don't want us hard working blacks from the north who take up most of the expensive subdivision should take a ride over the Verazano Bridge to see two empty spaces that were knocked down by an enemy WHO DIDNOT CARE ABOUT RACE!!!!!!! So I push my kids till they get honors and shop in PTC, drink the designer coffee and drive my HOTROD down your streets. And if you think you recognize me, remember I am one of hundreds of newcomers that are black and rich enough to buy in your wealthiest subdivisions. Maybe if listen to the new blacks here and talked you would have known who we are and that our presents only makes Fayette Schools Better. Unless your just jealous !!!

Wow!!!! I love the gross over-generalization this article begins with!!! Yes, all caucasians interact with all blacks in the exact same manner!!! If MrWorldTradeCenter thinks this article is persuasive in any manner, or that this article is in some way enlightening, maybe he should re-evaluate his logic. Racism unfortunately permeates southern culture, surely you were aware MrWorldTradeCenter? KKK, plantations, the Civil War...sound familiar???? I must tell you, bragging (quite uncouthly to be honest) about your "bags of money" is not the most appropriate way to go about trying to validate either your character or the character of blacks moving to Fayette. Having money and overpaying for coffee and cars (which, correct me if I'm wrong, you brag about?) does very little to prove your quality. If this idiotic mentality is what we can expect from you, then color of your skin is of little consequence! If you were to write this article yet be whiter than Strom Thurmond, I would still think you less than desirable for my community!

You and your family may be fine and "honor students" but the majority of folks moving in are not buying 300,000 homes. I am concerned about the trashy folks that are moving in and ran many of my African American friends out of Clayton.

A 5% discrepancy seems logical if you consider the fact that the registered voter may have more than one child or that there may be several children living in a single-parent home. In my home we have two registered voters and 5 children. But, I work in an office with 4 other people. Between us, (counting step-children and spouses), we have 14 children in Fayette County schools but only 6 registered voters.

Don't assume illegal students are black. It is obvious to me that the demographics in Fayette County is changing. I am more concerned about illegal aliens sending their kids to school. I'm sure if you check you will see that the increase of Hispanic registered voters is much, much lower when compared to the increase in school population. (If they aren't citizens, they can't register to vote.) But, even if the school knows a child or family is here illegally they cannot, according to the law, stop providing the child with an education. So the question is, if they happen to be illegally living in Clayton County but sending their kids to school here, can it be stopped? And, is the school system even allowed to tell us how many illegal aliens are attending school here?

Leoah Whineknott

In regards to the article about the minority group in schools and illegal "aliens", I would like to say that I am from Mexico City and cannot believe how close-minded people are. I was always treated like an illegal alien even though I was not. My parents always had my siblings and I attend the best schools and they paid tuition. We also have NEVER been in any type of government assistance. We were in after school activities and my parents ALWAYS PAID FROM THEIR OWN POCKETS. I graduated high school and received several scholarships to continue my education. I came from a low economic household and was never trouble. I have graduated college and I am obtaining two more degrees. It is not the color of your skin or whether you are illegal or not. An education is an education. EVERYONE IS AN IMMIGRANT TO THIS COUNTRY, EVEN THE WHITES. I am happy to say that my husband is Caucasian and my son is American. I cannot believe that now in 2006 we see so much racism despite the war, poverty, and deaths that we are seeing. We should enjoy the time we are here on earth and not hate each other. Why do you go to church and repent if in your heart you are hating people of color?

Ive never heard anyone refer to immigrants as aliens before!