Clayton County Public Schools - Clayton County Board Of Education

Clayton County Public Schools is a public school district located in Jonesboro, Georgia, U.S. With over 50,823 students, CCPS is the fifth largest school district in Georgia and is ranked among the 100 largest school systems in the U.S. The 67 learning campuses of district include nine high schools, 14 middle schools, 35 elementary schools, three non-traditional schools, and six other educational programs.

Students can attend their neighborhood schools or charter schools. High school students can attend a magnet program for the arts, and take online courses. Gifted education programs are available for elementary, middle, and high school students.

The school district is highly diversified with 90 different countries of origin represented. Seventy-two different languages are spoken, with the largest two foreign languages being Spanish and Vietnamese. About 9,500 students speak a language other than English and 4,600 are counted as English language learners.

High schools

Nine closed campus and one open campus high schools are located in Clayton County.

Middle schools

These campus middle schools are located in Clayton County.

Loss of accreditation

On August 28, 2008 the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) revoked accreditation for the Clayton County School District. This is the third school district in the United States to lose accreditation since 1969.

Timeline of revocation

• October 2007: Members of the Clayton County Board of Education file complaints with SACS against other board members alleging misconduct.
• November 12, 2007: The SACS Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (CASI) sends a letter to Clayton County Schools requesting a formal response to the allegations.
• December 12, 2007: Clayton County Schools respond in a letter which does not dispute the complaints.
• December 12, 2007 through January 16, 2008: SACS CASI conduct a review of all available documents regarding the issue. During this period, additional complaints lodged by school staff, board members, and the community are received by SACS CASI. A consideration of each new complaint is included in the investigation.
• January 16â€"17, 2008: SACS CASI conducts an investigation in Clayton County, including interviews with the Schools Superintendent, each member of the Board of Education, and community members. The on-site investigation includes visits to several county schools.
• February 22, 2008: Governor Sonny Perdue appoints James Bostic and William Bryant, State Board of Education members, to serve as liaisons between Clayton County and the state.
• March 15, 2008: The national Accreditation Commission votes to uphold SACS' recommendation of accreditation revocation.
• April 2, 2008: Clayton County School Board chairwoman Ericka Davis resigns.
• July 31, 2008: Clayton County School Board submits more than 2300 pages of documents to SACS for review.
• August 27, 2008: A state administrative judge recommends the removal of four board members after hearing testimony from five Clayton County residents regarding their concerns about these board members.
• August 28, 2008: SACS revokes Clayton County's accreditation. The same afternoon, Governor Perdue signs an executive order removing from the board Michelle Strong, Lois Baines-Hunter, Yolanda Everett, and Sandra Scott.
• May 1, 2009: Clayton County Public Schools regains accreditation.

Board members

As of October 2, 2013, the members of the Clayton County Board of Education are:

• Superintendent - Luvenia W. Jackson
• District 1 - Dr. Pam Adamson - Chair
• District 2 - Mark Christmas
• District 3 - Jessie Goree
• District 4 - Michael King
• District 5 - Ophelia Burroughs
• District 6 - Mary Baker - Vice Chair
• District 7 - Judy Johnson
• District 8 - Alieka Anderson
• District 9 - Benjamin A. Straker, Sr.

Clayton County Public Schools gained provisional accreditation in 2009. Full accreditation was restored in 2011. As of 2014, the school system is on track to continue making improvements. After serving as interim superintendent, Luvenia Jackson was named Superintendent of Clayton County Public Schools. The system is also planning the opening of its brand new, state of the art Performing Arts Magnet High School, Martha Stillwell School of the Arts, adjacent to the school system's Performing Arts Center.