Thursday, March 29, 2012
The board asked the county Thursday to deny permits to T-Mobile, which, under an agreement with the school system, plans to build nine cell phone towers on school properties countywide, including Briarlake Elementary and Lakeside High schools.
The DeKalb County Board of Education's plans to build cell phone towers at nine schools countywide, including Briarlake Elementary and Lakeside High, violates a county ordinance, and building permits for those projects should be denied, county commissioners said Thursday. In a letter to county CEO Burrell Ellis, signed by all seven commissioners, the board said the school system and T-Mobile are illegally trying to circumvent county zoning regulations through a state law that says government property is exempt from local zoning ordiances if the property is being used for a governmental purpose. The letter represents the first public pushback from county officials on an issue that has enflamed some vocal residents of communities across the …
Thursday, February 23, 2012
A summary of Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson's state of the school system speech today.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
With the DeKalb County School System determined to let T-Mobile build a tower at Briarlake Elementary School, parents there aren't left with many options.
Parents at Briarlake Elementary School upset with the forthcoming construction of a cell phone tower on school property are unsure of their next move as the school system and T-Mobile move forward with their plans, a PTA board member said. "We had hoped that [DeKalb County School System Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson] would have given this issue some time," said Stephanie Byrne, a Briarlake Elementary PTA board member. "She has decided that this is not worth her time." Atkinson and a school system spokesman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month that the deal between the system and T-Mobile was considered done, and the system was not open to challenges. "We respect the opinions about this," school spokesman Walter Woods said to …
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The day's top headlines for Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Atkinson To Focus On Students, Makes Changes Across System. Riverwood Audit Shows Several Areas Of Concern. Police Investigating Wednesday Morning Bank Robbery. Patch Profile: State Rep. Ed Lindsey Tucker Native Making An Impact At Stanford. Hundreds Celebrate Xerona Clayton Way.
DeKalb County's new superintendent of schools, Cheryl Atkinson, spoke to a group of parents at Henderson Middle School this morning, one of her first public addresses since starting the job last week.
Some snippets of Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson's address to parents at Henderson Middle School Wednesday morning.
33.867415
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Henderson Middle School
2830 Henderson Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA
/articles/video-new-superintendent-on-districts-future
1735753
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New Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson said she plans to take the next 90 days to assess the school district and possibly make administrative changes.
Cheryl Atkinson, DeKalb County's new schools chief, promised to focus on students and spend the next 90 days assessing the school district – a process that may lead to administrative changes and some staffing consolidation. The new superintendent, in only her fifth day on the job here, was light on specifics as she spoke before a group of parents at Henderson Middle School this morning during the first meeting of the Emory LaVista Parent Council's annual State of the System address. She repeatedly referred parents to her published 90-day plan as a guide of how she will assess the school district before she moves to make changes. So far, that's included visiting more than 20 schools across the county, part of a larger goal to visit every …
33.867415
-84.250595
Henderson Middle School
2830 Henderson Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA
/articles/atkinson-to-focus-on-students-make-changes-across-system
1735753
/locations/5426319
Monday, September 19, 2011
The new superintendent will give the speech Wednesday at 9:15am.
New DeKalb County School System Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson will give her first State of the System address Wednesday morning at Henderson Middle School. Refreshments will be served at 8:45am, and the address will begin at 9:15am. The speech will be given during a meeting of the Emory LaVista Parent Council. The school board voted 6-3 late last month to hire the Ohio educator to lead the county's ailing school system, which has struggled over the last several years through a racketeering scandal involving its last permanent superintendent, Crawford Lewis, and resulting accreditation concerns that outgoing interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson claims will soon be resolved, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
33.867415
-84.250595
Henderson Middle School
2830 Henderson Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA
/articles/atkinson-to-give-state-of-system-address-at-henderson-middle
1735753
/locations/5390907
Friday, September 16, 2011
After being sworn into her position Thursday morning, Cheryl Atkinson met administrators and teachers at six DeKalb schools.
DeKalb County Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson wasted no time in getting to know some of the district's schools. Shortly after being sworn in Thursday morning at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur, Atkinson began visiting schools. Her selection was approved by the DeKalb County Board of Education in a 6-3 vote last month. Atkinson spent time at two Stone Mountain high schools Thursday: Redan High School and Eldredge L. Miller Elementary School. She met with principals and several teachers, shook hands and spoke with students, and got a first-hand look at some of the classes and activities the schools have to offer. "It was my first day and I think it was important to be in the schools," Atkinson said. "I plan to visit every school and …
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday in the DeKalb County Courthouse.
The new superintendent of the DeKalb County School System, Cheryl L.H. Atkinson, will be sworn into office at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, in Courtroom 5C at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur. Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams will administer the oath. Atkinson will have breakfast with her family after the ceremony and then tour several DeKalb County schools. Members of the public attending the ceremony are asked to be in place by 8:45 a.m. Atkinson comes to DeKalb County from the Lorain, Ohio, school district. She was officially hired Aug. 29 in a 6-3 vote by the DeKalb County Board of Education. Some board members wondered if she could handle a big school district after working for a small one in Ohio. Atkinson replaces Ramona Tyson…
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The DeKalb County Board of Education hired Cheryl Atkinson as the school system's new superintendent in a 6-3 vote last week. What are your thoughts?
The DeKalb County Board of Education voted last week to hire Cheryl Atkinson as the new county superintendent of schools. The vote was 6-3. Ideally, a school board works hard to secure a unanimous vote for an incoming superintendent, but at big, urban and semi-urban schools districts such as DeKalb County's–with deeper politics and pockets–that becomes more difficult. Atkinson, who runs the city school district in Lorain, Ohio, takes over DeKalb Sept. 15. North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch ran a series of stories on her approval process: Atkinson Named DeKalb Superintendent McChesney, Jester Oppose Superintendent Nominee Parents React to DeKalb County's New Superintendent DeKalb Superintendent Finalist: "We Must Work Together" The "No" …
Ella Smith
8:27 pm on Friday, April 13, 2012
I was the only parent at Lakeside High School who attended the meeting and voiced my opinion regarding being opposed to the cell towers at Lakeside and on any other school properties. Hardly any parents were present due to the way the meeting was advertised. I also wrote all the school board members and voiced my opposition. more ›