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School board votes on upgrades for Druid Hills High
The DeKalb County Board of Education voted to approve $50 million in renovation and modernization costs to upgrade Druid Hills High School.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Amid pressure from the Georgia Department of Education, parents, and students the DeKalb Board of Education voted unanimously to restore Druid Hills High School to the district’s five-year facilities plan. The vote came Tuesday during a specially called meeting.
The board voted to allot $50 million for repairs for Druid Hills, an amount much lower than what was thought was needed to fix the school, but still a significant investment.
"Today’s vote is an important step in facing one of the many facilities needs across the district," said Interim Superintendent Dr. Vasanne S. Tinsley. "Without a doubt, the conditions at Druid Hills High School illustrate the poor conditions in several of our facilities. Many of these issues are not new and highlight systemic, operational shortcomings that have persisted for far too long."
The Georgia DOE gave the district until June 1 to restore its plan to fund restorations at the 95-year-old school. Failure to do so would have put state funding for the district at risk. The state did respond to the vote stating it plans to "plan to recommend their local facility plan for board approval, with continued access to capital outlay funds conditional to the full follow-through by DeKalb on the corrective action plan, including the modernization of Druid Hills High."
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This became a larger issue earlier this year when an eight-minute student-produced video showing conditions at the school went viral. Students used iPhones to document plaster falling off walls, water leaking in many areas and a ceiling hole so big a student is shown placing his entire hand through it. The students also describe the smell of human waste in a lunch area of the school, which has century-old water pipes.
Cost estimates for an overhaul of Druid Hills High School ranged from $52 to $60 million. With submission of other projects approved being time sensitive, the board previously opted to submit its existing list of projects to be completed in the next five years, saying it included more pressing, less costly repairs to schools across the district in the meantime.
State Superintendent Richard Woods wrote a letter in response, saying he would not support until facilities issues at Druid Hills were addressed.
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Druid Hills High has been in existence since the 1920s and its oldest building is about 95 years old. Actor Denzel Washington walked its halls and athletic fields when it was used to film the 2000 movie "Remember the Titans," about a football team breaking down racial barriers. The school serves about 1,330 students and is among the most diverse in metro Atlanta, with about 40% Black students, 30% white, 14% Hispanic and 11% Asian.