Georgia Board of Education to hold hearing today (UPDATE 11 A.M.)

Tuesday, July 26, 2011
© Copyright 2013 Albany Herald

Photo by Shawn Wheat

UPDATE: The state Board of Education agreed Tuesday to give the Atlanta Public Schools board until November to regain full accreditation, essentially giving the local board a reprieve as to whether its members would lose their jobs.

As a critical hearing got underway this morning, lawyers for both the state education department and the district announced they had come to agreement on conditions that would become legally binding if approved. The main condition of the agreement suspends the hearing until Nov. 4. That date follows a Sept. 30 deadline set by the district's accrediting agency.

State board members approved the agreement unanimously.

The hearing stemmed from the APS board's accreditation problems. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the primary accrediting agency in Georgia, put them on probation in January for infighting among members.

Earlier:

ATLANTA (AP) -- The Georgia Board of Education is holding a hearing Tuesday to determine whether members of the Atlanta and Coffee County school boards should be removed from office.

The state board has 15 days to make recommendations to Gov. Nathan Deal after a hearing Tuesday. Deal is not expected to immediately issue his ruling.

The hearings are part of a new state law that took effect July 1 permitting the governor to remove members of local school boards if their districts are in danger of losing accreditation. Both districts are on probation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Any school board member removed has the right to appeal the governor's decision.

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