Georgia School System Loses US Accreditation

Atlanta-area district becomes first in nearly 40 years stripped of recognition

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 29, 2008 10:58 AM CDT

(Newser) – A Georgia school system has become the country's first in almost 40 years to have its accreditation yanked, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Clayton County parents and students were devastated by the move, blamed on the district's "dysfunctional" school board. An exodus of students is expected to accelerate.

Within hours of the system being ruled unfit, the state governor removed four school board members. If an appeal fails, the district's 52,000 students could struggle to get into some colleges or get scholarships. Local property values are also expected to nosedive. Said one senior: “I didn’t work this hard for all these years to graduate with a worthless diploma.”

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52,000 students in Clayton County, Georgia will be affected by the national board's decision to remove the district's accreditation. ((c) House Of Sims)

The removal of Clayton County school district's accreditation could hurt the college hopes of its students. (Shutter Stock)

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Get ready for the mass exodus. I was planning to put my kids in public school starting in middle school. But now I don’t want to be in this county anymore. - Demond Scott, a Clayton County parent

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Georgia School System Loses US Accreditation