Newspaper Page Text
LOCAL
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, DEC. 30, 2021 - JAN. 5, 2022 • PAGE 6
YEAR IN REVIEW j
Teachers share concerns after Feb.
3 return to DeKalb schools - 40
resign
Fear and uncertainty lie in the minds of many
DeKalb County School District teachers who were
forced to return to classrooms Feb. 3. DeKalb
County School District reported on its website
Feb. 3 that since July 1, 2020, 762 staff members
and students have reported positive COVID-19
tests. While students have not been in buildings
for instruction since March 2020, some students
have participated in extracurricular activities
and some staff members have been present in
buildings.
During the Feb.8 DeKalb County Board of
Education meeting, which was held in-person
for the first time in more than six months,
board member Joyce Morley, who attended
the meeting virtually, was angered about staff's
return to buildings as some schools have already
closed due to positive COVID-19 cases among
staff.
County confirms paved over or
unmarked graves in Decatur
At least one grave and possibly more than
25 others have been discovered underneath or
near Wilson Road in Decatur, according to DeKalb
County CEO Michael Thurmond.
The discovery comes after a decades long
request from Fred Kinnemore for the county to
investigate the possibility of the gravesites. The
suspected burial sites are near a Black cemetery
belonging to St. Paul Baptist Church and are
believed to have been family members of church
members.
DeKalb students return to in-person
learning
After spending most of the 2020- 21 school
year instructing and learning virtually, DeKalb
County School District students began returning
to buildings in March with more than two and a
half months remaining in the school year.
Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first-grade,
second-grade, sixth-grade and ninth-grade
students were allowed to return March 9 for in-
person learning; Grade levels third, fourth, fifth,
seventh, eighth, 10th, 11th and 12th returned to
buildings March 15.
Many district teachers—whom were to
report back to their facilities Feb. 3—have
expressed concerns about working in school
buildings, even more so when students return.
At the time, the district reported 40 teacher
resignations. In February, the human resources
department reported 71 total staff vacancies, the
most the district has seen since starting the 2020-
21 school year.
One year later, businesses,
residents continue to cope with
pandemic
Local officials acted quickly to the news
of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020,
implementing laws and programs to minimize
effects of the virus within their communities.
While mitigation efforts such as mask mandates
and social distancing are still in place in local
municipalities and businesses, residents are
becoming more optimistic as assistance from
government and nonprofits have helped those
struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic.
Enchanted Forest gift shop was one of
nearly 90 small businesses that received a
COVID-19 relief grant from Dunwoody's CARES
Act allocation, and one of thousands of DeKalb
businesses that received grants. Enchanted Forest
owner Elizabeth Morris said the company used
the funds to pay back-rent from the six-week
period when the store was closed and for utilities
and maintenance.
As the economy starts to pick back up,
Morris said, her company has embraced several
ideas learned during the pandemic that they
will carry into post-pandemic operations. One
such idea is offering more smaller, lower-priced
gift options and more options for corporate
buyers.
Study ranks Dunwoody among
America’s safest cities
Among the features attracting homebuyers
to Dunwoody, which has grown by more than
3,000 residents since the 2010 census, may be
community safety. A recently published report
cites the north DeKalb city among the safest in
the nation.
Former DCSD superintendent
candidate to receive $750,000
settlement
DeKalb County Board of Education approved
a $750,000 settlement in a lawsuit filed by former
superintendent candidate Rudy Crew.
In April 2020, Crew was announced as the
sole final candidate for the superintendent role of
DeKalb County School District; however, following
public opposition, the DCSD's board of education
members voted May 11 to not offer him the
position. One month later, the board named
Cheryl-Watson Harris as superintendent.
Crew's lawsuit, filed in Georgia's Northern
District Court in October 2020, alleges age and
race discrimination by the DeKalb Board of
Education. The lawsuit alleges that during the
selection process, agist comments were made
about Crew, who was 69 years old at the time.