ATLANTA (AP) - Recent editorials from Georgia newspapers:
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Sept. 23
The Telegraph of Macon on the debate between Gov. Nathan Deal and state education leaders over testing students between kindergarten and third grade:
The education establishment in Georgia is about to enter what appears to be an annual battle with the governor of Georgia. For the last three years the ebb and flow of the fight has gone from outright war - the Opportunity School District that required a constitutional amendment - to a semi-truce with the passage of House Bill 338. That bill has many of the characteristics of the failed Amendment 1, including the appointment of a chief turnaround officer for the state’s failing schools instead of an Opportunity School District superintendent.
The first battle was a resounding defeat for Gov. Nathan Deal and while he huffed and puffed -threatened even - he took the high road and many of the ideas in Amendment 1 were included in House Bill 338, which works within the state’s existing education infrastructure, something Amendment 1 failed to do.
The reason for Amendment 1’s defeat was the coalescing of the state’s educational powers - and the governor’s underestimation of those powers. Now the two are on course for another butting of heads as the state Department of Education has already sent its draft Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan to the U.S. Department of Education for approval.
Every state seeking a release from No Child Left Behind requirements must come up with its own plan and Georgia has been working on that plan since May 2016. An advisory committee with working groups was formed, ideas shared, stakeholders identified and feedback received. The committee’s work was compiled into a draft in April with a 30-day review period that began in June. Feedback from that period was received, digested and some revisions were made. All along, the governor’s office was in the loop according to the state’s school Superintendent Richard Woods.
The plan was submitted to the governor for review in August and in a letter dated Sept. 6, the governor wanted changes. Lots of them.
We don’t have the space to adequately address each change requested and admittedly much is covered in educational acronyms that might as well be Greek to most readers, but many of the adjustments have to do with high-stakes testing, accountability and how to accurately measure progress.
On one issue, we must side with the educational establishment. The governor would like to extend assessments (tests) to kindergarten through second grade. His reasoning makes perfect sense coming from a particular perspective. The governor believes there needs to be an assessment tool (tests) to see “how students are progressing along the developmental; continuum in grades K-3 for the state to make appropriate progress toward the goal of having all students reading on grade level by the end of third grade.” He believes the education department’s plan, using Keenville, a game-based formative assessment, “does not meet this need.”
Woods’ response to the governor was pointed: “I have been very clear that I am not in favor of expanding high-stakes testing, especially for first- and second-graders (six- and seven-year-old children). I believe our state’s educators and parents have been clear in expressing this desire as well.”
Woods has the backing of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. Dr. Allene Magill, PAGE executive director remarked in a media release, “Just as he (the governor) misunderstood Georgian’s desire for local control that resulted in the defeat of the Opportunity School District, Gov. Deal’s requested changes to rely more heavily on high-stakes tests are out-of-touch with the thousands of people who contributed to the new state accountability plan.”
Magill also wrote that while PAGE “does not agree with every component of the plan, the state’s largest education association does believe that the Georgia Department of Education has thoughtfully crafted an accountability plan informed by the voices of people from around the state who are weary of the old model represented by accountability by testing.” Magill encouraged the “DOE to submit its original plan as submitted to Gov. Deal for review rather than yield to his recommendations on removing weighted points for Closing the Gap and on eligibility requirements for struggling schools.”
Dr. Sid Chapman, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, also agreed with Woods, “GAE has been fighting what we call ’toxic testing’ for many years. What Gov. Deal is asking could take us back to the days of over-use and over-emphasis of high-stakes standardized testing that had become ’toxic’ to our students. The open input period from which Georgia citizens, including thousands of teachers, commented and participated in feedback sessions and online surveys, clearly indicated they wanted to move on from that requirement. Georgia’s plan is truly one put together by Georgians, for Georgians, and it should maintain the integrity of that originality of thought. The plan meets specific needs that our schools need to maximize the opportunities for positive growth and achievement among our students.”
The two sides may just be looking at the issue from different perspectives. Gov. Deal is all about workforce development and how to attract and keep business in the state. The education establishment is all about human development. The two perspectives don’t have to be in opposition. With more communication, we should be able to see our way clear to achieve both goals.
Online: https://www.macon.com/
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Sept. 21
The Augusta Chronicle on a commission’s vote that sided with citizens to deny a store’s liquor license:
Several residents of Augusta’s Turpin Hill section have told Augusta commissioners flatly that they don’t want (a) a liquor store in their in neighborhood in general, and (b) Lion Package Store in particular.
And the commissioners made the right decision by listening.
The commission voted 9-1 on Sept. 19 to deny a liquor license to a man who wanted to re-open the store under another name, Bush’s Package.
But it’s not the name that’s the problem. It’s the clientele.
We believe Marcus Bush when he said he’d strive to maintain rules for the store and its parking lot, which have long attracted customers who have been allowed to drink on the premises - with predictable antisocial results.
“It’s a bad look if you’ve got people hanging around,” Bush said.
It is. Know what else is a “bad look”? A shabby liquor store in an overwhelmingly residential neighborhood.
The package store is just a block away from the Carrie J. Mays Community Center, and from three churches. And it’s on a corner surrounded by modest homes, almost assuredly occupied by people who haven’t relished the idea of alcohol-fueled reprobates skulking around where they live.
The area isn’t even zoned for a liquor store, but the city’s planning office said its nonconforming use had been grandfathered in.
“If we vote against it, we’ll lose his liquor license and fees and his taxes,” Commissioner Dennis Williams said. “If we vote in favor of it, it’s a possibility we can lose the confidence and the trust of the residents of this area.”
“These ladies late at night have to deal with this stuff, drunks staggering, cursing and fighting,” Commissioner Marion Williams said. “These ladies ought to be enjoying their life right now.”
The liquor-store opponents who showed up at the commission meeting applauded after the vote. We’d like to applaud the vote, too, for the commissioners striking a blow to improve citizens’ quality of life instead of further filling the city’s coffers.
Online: https://chronicle.augusta.com/
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Sept. 19
The Savannah Morning News on the fatal police shooting of a Georgia Tech student:
All Georgians were disturbed by the Sept. 16 shooting of Georgia Tech student Scout Schultz by a campus police officer who apparently thought the young man was brandishing a knife in a threatening manner.
Also troubling were the riots that broke out Sept. 18 on the campus in the heart of downtown Atlanta after what began as a peaceful vigil in memory of the slain student devolved into mayhem and the torching of a police cruiser. Two officers were injured.
These awful events are not representative of Georgia Tech, one of the nation’s preeminent engineering schools with a deserved reputation for academic excellence.
Indeed, Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson has said “outside agitators” were mainly to blame for that Monday night’s unrest. Three people were arrested after the melee and charged with inciting a riot and battery of a police officer.
At the same time, Tech students should be commended for trying to promote healing after these horrific incidents. For example, Phillip Yamin, an electrical engineering major in the class of 2019, has launched an online fundraising effort on Facebook to help campus police officers who may have been affected. As of Sept. 19, the effort has raised about $2,000.
Meanwhile, a group of Tech students planned to clean up the campus the morning of Sept. 19.
A number of Tech students have gone public to urge the college to make changes to its mental health policy for students to speed up assistance for students who may be having psychological or emotional problems. That’s a reasonable request that administrators should grant. The slain student had been president of Georgia Tech’s Pride Alliance. Experts have said that LGVTQ college students suffer disproportionately from stress and were more likely to seek out mental health services.
By all means, better access to needed services to all students, regardless of their orientation, is a must.
Indeed, in the wake of the Tech shooting, the presidents of all colleges in Georgia should examine their mental health policies for ease of student access and to make sure their campuses remain safe.
Colleges, especially those like Tech that push for high achievement, can indirectly contribute to student stress. The parents of the slain student said their son was a perfectionist and a high-achiever, factors that could have affected his mental state.
Newly released audio reveals that the student, who attempted suicide two years ago using a belt as a makeshift noose, made a 911 call reporting a suspicious individual carrying a knife and possibly a gun. The GBI had said they found three suicide notes in the student’s room.
An attorney for the family said the young man was experiencing a “mental breakdown” during the fatal encounter with police.
The parents said they plan to file suit. “Why did you have to shoot?” the slain student’s father had asked. That’s a legitimate question, as the initial evidence indicated no imminent danger and the knife the student was said to be carrying turned out to be a multi-purpose tool that included a small blade that was not extended. Additionally, there was no gun.
However, police officers who respond to potentially dangerous situations don’t have the luxury of time. They must make snap decisions based on the facts at hand and what they see and hear. Hence, it’s unfair and premature to criticize campus police. Let the GBI complete its investigation. This shooting is more evidence for supplying all police officers with body cameras to better understand the situations that officers face.
It sadly appears the student may have had a death wish. In addition to the 911 call that the student made, in a video of the incident the student can be heard telling police to shoot before one of four officers fired a fatal bullet to the chest.
The student also ignored officer’s commands to stand in place, moving slowly toward the four officers who surrounded the Lilburn native.
This incident is another reason why all police officers should undergo mandatory training on how to handle suspects who may be mentally ill before being assigned to the streets.
Records show that the officer who shot Scout Schultz had been on the job for just over a year and that he had not undergone such training. That was a big miss on Tech’s part.
This shooting was a tragedy that could have been prevented.
The consequences have caused considerable pain and hardship, but should also prompt actions that correct the potentially fatal lapse in mental health services so troubled individuals can get the help they need when they are suffering mental breakdowns.
Georgians should pray for the slain student, his family and for members of the Tech community. At the same time, anyone who assaults police officers or incites violence in the wake of such tragic incidents should be fully prosecuted.
Online: https://savannahnow.com/
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