Posted inAtlanta Public Schools

Georgia State partners with four metro area school districts to retain educators

In response to the ongoing teacher shortage in Georgia, Georgia State University’s College of Education & Human Development (CEHD) has joined forces with four school districts in the state. The initiative, known as the Pathways to Teacher Credentialing Project, aims to alleviate the teacher shortage by preparing and retaining educators in the critical areas in […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

Georgia Gwinnett College School of Education receives national award for excellence

Lawrenceville, Georgia – The Georgia Gwinnett College’s (GGC) School of Education (SOE) has received the 2023 Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Dr. Pamela Smith, GGC’s coordinator of assessment and accreditation and assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, expressed her enthusiasm for the achievement, […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

Gwinnett County School Board members vote to renew the superintendent’s contract

Gwinnett County: Board members voted 4 to 1 in favor of renewing Superintendent Calvin J. Watt’s contract at Tuesday’s special called board meeting.  County officials called for the meeting after concerned parents disagreed over several of the superintendent’s decisions, including the new disciplinary policy. Four months ago, at a parent meeting, parents accused Watts of […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

The Gwinnett County Police Department held a community meeting following the deaths of numerous teens.

Recent drug overdoses and the murder of a teenager by a former cop triggered a response from the police department at last Thursday’s public forum. In unrelated cases, Rodrigo Floriano Mayen and Julia Zirangua, both 17, died of drug overdoses. According to police, Zirangua thought she was taking Percocet, which was later determined to be […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

The Gwinnett County Hispanic community demands justice after the bodies of missing teens were found

Protestors with the Hispanics United Alliance have gathered multiple times in the past month after the deaths of Susana Morales and Rodrigo Floriano Mayen. Police labeled Morales as a runway after she went missing in July last year while walking home from a friend’s house. A passerby found her remains on February 6th at the […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

Some Gwinnett County parents disapprove of proposed new sex education curriculum

Gwinnett County is adopting a new comprehensive sex education curriculum for the 2023 school year called HealthSmart. Mothers Denise Rumbaugh and Amy Cook disapprove of the new program and wish to keep the current course, Choosing the Best, which is less comprehensive than Healthsmart. The two spoke at the recent school board meeting on January […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

Gwinnett county schools parents disapprove of the new sex education curriculum.

Gwinnett County is adopting a new comprehensive sex education curriculum for the 2023 school year called HealthSmart. Mothers Denise Rumbaugh and Amy Cook disapprove of the new program and wish to keep the current course, Choosing the Best, which is less comprehensive than Healthsmart. The two spoke at the recent school board meeting on January […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

Mill Creek High School Standout, Caleb Downs, was named Georgia Gatorade Football Player of the Year

Gatorade today announced Caleb Downs of Mill Creek High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year- the first Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Mill Creek High School in Gwinnett County.   The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

Gwinnett County BOE to provide a $1,000 payment to all active, benefit-eligible employees

At its last board meeting of the year, the Gwinnett County Board of Education approved a one-time payment of $1,000 to all active benefits-eligible employees to be paid in a lump sum and included in the December 2022 paycheck. This move comes after other school board members, and the superintendent indicated their support for GCPS […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

Gwinnett BOE appoints new leaders

At its regularly scheduled business meeting on December 15, 2022, the Gwinnett County Board of Education approved the appointment of a new Chief Financial Officer, Executive Director of Leadership Development, and principal at Shiloh Elementary School. Masana L. Mailliard, the new chief financial officer, comes to Gwinnett County Schools from Dekalb County Schools, where she worked […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

Gwinnett County Schools Superintendent resigns from Cognia Board of Directors

After outrage from parents, Gwinnett County Public Schools Superintendent Calvin Watts quit his position on the Board of Directors of Cognia. Cognia, the school’s system accrediting agency. Cognia is an Alpharetta-based nonprofit organization, and most of Georgia’s public school systems are accredited by Cognia. Each year, school districts pay tens of thousands of dollars to voluntarily […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

Paul Duke STEM High School educator honored at National Communication Association Convention

Halie Waddell Rios, an ESOL educator at Paul Duke STEM High School in Norcross, was recognized with the Marcella E. Oberle Award for Outstanding Teaching in Grades K-12 at the National Communication Association’s (NCA) 108th Annual Convention in New Orleans. NCA honors the best in scholarly communication, presenting awards for outstanding scholarship, teaching, and professional service. […]

Posted inAtlanta Public Schools, Clayton County Schools, Cobb County Schools, Fulton County Schools, Gwinnett County Schools, Henry County Schools, Marietta City Schools, Uncategorized

Metro Atlanta school districts are moving to mask optional mandate

Atlanta, Ga- Many Atlanta metro districts are proposing to open a mask-optional campus. On July 27, The CDC (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommended that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in K-12 schools amid the surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide in 2020. As a result, school districts across metro Atlanta have updated their […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools, Uncategorized

No Change in Cognia Status for Gwinnett County Schools Cognia Special Review

On Monday, September 13, Superintendent Calvin J. Watts shared Cognia’s final report and that the accreditation agency had made no change to the school district’s accreditation status- GCPS remains a fully accredited school district. We are excited to see that the recommendations Cognia suggested are initiatives our Board is already working on. We look forward to growing […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools, Uncategorized

Gwinnett County Board of Education Approves Dr. Calvin J. Watts as next superintendent

On Friday, July 30, 2021, the Gwinnett County Board of Education unanimously approved Dr. Calvin J. Watts as the next superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools. Dr. Watts—a former GCPS school leader and assistant superintendent who most recently served as Superintendent of Kent School District in Washington—was the sole finalist for the Gwinnett position. In […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

Gwinnett County Commissioners to hold hearings later this month on tax rates

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners will hold three public hearings later this month on the county’s millage rate. While the current millage rate of 6.95 is not expected to change, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners will consider the current rate. “From engaging programs for our seniors to our libraries, our roads, and transit […]

Posted inGwinnett County Schools

The Gwinnett County School Board meeting goes on without a hitch, but Critical Race Theory overshadows most public discussion.

Unlike last month’s meeting, which saw tempers flare between board members and disgruntled parents who refused to wear face coverings, this meeting was a breath of fresh air. With several Gwinnett County Public School police officers and Gwinnett County Sheriff’s deputies present, no disruptions ruined the meeting. “It was much better (and) incredibly productive relative to […]