Parents frustrated over DeKalb schools board plan's lack of Druid Hills fixes
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - The members of the DeKalb County School Board have approved a new facilities improvement plan, but many parents are upset what was left out: Druid Hills High School.
At the latest DeKalb County School Board meeting, school officials heard criticism from parents over the submission of its local facilities plan.
"Please revisit the decision to approve thousands of Band-Aids and use the FCA’s for what they are intended - as a component of an actual plan - and approve all of the projects recommended in the CMP," Parent Steven Langdon told the board.
The plan includes efforts to modernize Cross Keys High school but doesn't include similar plans for Druid Hills High School, which is slated to receive less hefty improvements along with other schools in the district.
DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TALKS OF LOW MORALE, SUICIDES
The 6 to 1 approval for that plan on May 9 came weeks after a viral video taken by students showing conditions inside the high school, which is one of the oldest in the school system.
In the eight-minute video, 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.
"It is awful to sit in a boiling classroom for hours with a splitting headache from the mildew and the mold. The walls are cracking and crumbling from the water damage," Druid High School Junior Suzanne McKenna said to the board.
State Superintendent Richard Woods wrote has written a letter in response, saying he would not support until facilities issues at Druid Hills were addressed.
"It is essential that our students are able to learn, and our educators are able to teach, in a safe and supportive learning environment," Woods wrote. "I question why these issues were only addressed after they were raised by students – rather than being identified and promptly addressed by the adults responsible for them."
DRUID HILLS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS STAGE WALKOUT OVER NEEDED REPAIRS
District 7 Board Member Dr. Joyce Morley explained that while Druid Hills is one of many schools the board recognizes is in need of modernization, they can’t all be addressed at once, and the board’s focus is on equity in initiating projects.
"The major thing is cleaning up the mess over there at Druid Hills and any other school, but when you are talking about modifications and beautification, that’s on a totally different level. Let’s fix the mess first, and then we can look at what needs to be because Druid Hills is not the only one," Morley said.
DRUID HILLS HIGH PARENTS, STUDENTS RALLY OUTSIDE DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
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 opted to submit its existing list of projects to be completed in the next five years, which included more pressing, less costly repairs to schools across the district in the meantime.
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.