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NEWS
FAYETTE
COUNTY
'I'THE TRUTH SINCE 1886 4*
INSIDE:
VOL 151, NO. 18
WEDNESDAY, May 3, 2023
Starr’s Mill Sweeps into
LAX Elite Eight, A9
$1.00
INSIDE: Leadership Fayette Now Accepting Applications Jor Class oj 2024, A5
INSIDE: FCHS’s Rives accepted to Juilliard School oj Music, B4
Parents Object to 'Contentious' Reading Request
Sydney Spencer
News Reporter
sspencer@fayette-news.net
Parents Lamar and
Tameka Grant voiced con
cern to Fayette County
Board of Education
members, during public
comments, regarding a
book their to-year-old son
was asked to read by an ele
mentary school principal.
The parents said their
child was given a “conten
tious book” by the principal.
“In early February, our
to-year-old son was given a
book by his elementary
school principal, who
happens to be white, and
was asked to read it,” said
Grant. “The book, entitled
‘Uncomfortable Conver
sations with a Black Boy,’
addressed extremely sensi
tive, racial, and social topics
and is not a district-ap
proved text.”
Lamar Grant said it
made him and his family
question the motive of the
principal.
“The book exchange in
cident was on the heels of
another experience when
the same principal acknowl
edged fault regarding equi
table treatment of
students,” Grant claimed.
“During a Feb. 21 meeting
with the principal and a dis
trict leader to address these
matters, the principal
shared that the intent was to
have my child read the book
to determine if it was reflec
tive of his life experience
and if the book is something
the principal should have
the staff read.”
Grant told the board
that topics such as race
should be left to students’
families to discuss with
them, especially at a young
age.
“The realities of what it
means to be black in these
United States, in this State
of Georgia, and in Fayette
County Schools is a delicate
topic for black families, and
families approach this
matter differently,” Grant
said. “However, I can assure
you that it is not our desire
to have Fayette County
schools engaging our 10-
year-old son with literature
addressing what it means to
be black in this world. We,
as his parents, are fully
equipped to do this.”
Grant concluded that
the school district does not
See Parents Object, A6
[''PAGE
’ofessional Assoc
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Professional Association
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From left are PAGE Foundation President Dr. Flayward Cordy, Georgia STAR Teacher John Campbell, Georgia STAR Student
Tito Alofe, and PAGE Executive Director Craig Harper. Courtesy of Fayette County Schools
Fayette’s Tito Alofe is Georgia’s STAR Student
Tito Alofe, a senior at
Starr’s Mill High School in
Fayette County, has been
named the 2023 Georgia
PAGE STAR Student, fol
lowing his recognition as
Fayette County STAR Stu
dent. He named Starr’s
Mill’s John Campbell as his
STAR Teacher.
As this year’s State
PAGE Student Teacher
Achievement Recognition
Student, Alofe wins a
$5,000 scholarship from
PAGE, while Campbell re
ceives a $2,500 cash award
from the Frances Wood Wil
son Foundation.
Michelle Li, a senior at
North Oconee High School
in Oconee County, is the
runner-up Georgia PAGE
STAR Student.
Twenty STAR Student
winners of the region were
state finalists in the annual
STAR program. This year,
more than 1,200 students
and teachers were named
PAGE STAR Students and
STAR Teachers at individ
ual schools throughout the
state.
The search for the State
PAGE STAR Student began
earlier this school year with
the naming of local STAR
Students from each of the
participating public and in
dependent high schools ac
ross the state. In turn, those
STAR Students then recog
nized the teacher who had
the most influence on their
success as their STAR
See STAR Student, A2
Commissioners Approve Agreement
with Church for Overflow Parking
Sydney Spencer
News Reporter
sspencer@fayette-news.net
The Fayette County
Commission meeting held
on April 25 included rec
ognition of first responders,
new appointments, and a
request to approve use of
Fayetteville First Baptist
Church’s parking lot during
elections.
A request from the selec
tion committee, comprised
of Fayette County staff, to
appoint Dr. William Yarde
to the Fayette County Water
Committee for an unexpired
term was approved by com
missioners, who also ap
proved Gail Joiner to serve
a four-year term on the Fay
ette County Library Board.
Fayette County Public
Works Division Director
See Commissioners, A6
2023 Fayette County Firefighter of the Year Daniel Young (standing fourth from left) with fellow
first responders Amber Morris (third from right), members the local Veterans of Foreign Wars,
and Fayette County Commissioners. Submitted
Fayette Sees Low
Turnout for First
Week of Early Voting
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
FAYETTE — Early voting
began on April 24 for the
special called election to fill
House seat 68, left vacant
following the death of Rep.
Letitia “Tish” Naghise, and
numbers signify a “slow
turnout” at the three early
voting locations in Fayette
County.
On the first day of early
in-person voting, the Town
of Tyrone displayed the high
est turnout with 129 early
votes cast. Peachtree City fol
lowed with 43 ballots cast,
and Fayette County Elections
Office saw 16 total votes cast.
Eleven total absentee bal
lots were mailed to residents
throughout the county, and
three have returned as of
April 28, according to Fay
ette County Director of Elec
tions and Registration Brian
Hill, who noted that the low
turnout is not new, given the
history of votes in similar
special called elections.
“Special elections are
usually a small turnout. This
is normal,” Hill wrote.
The ballot displays five
candidates who are running
for the vacant seat, all of
whom are Democrats: Mark
Baker, John Culbreth, Taiwo
Idowu, Derrick Jackson, and
Jane Williams.
The special election is
scheduled for May 16, with
early voting lasting through
May 12. Early voting loca
tions are the Fayette County
Elections Office, Peachtree
City Library, and Tyrone
Recreation Office from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m.
BOE Hears Capital
Projects Update
High Schools to Receive
New Gyms, Tennis Courts
Sydney Spencer
News Reporter
sspencer@fayette-news.net
Assistant Superinten
dent Steve Cole updated the
Fayette County Board of
Education April 24 on cap
ital projects, including im
proved auxiliary gyms and
tennis courts for Fayette
public schools, and gave a
presentation on the upcom
ing McIntosh Athletic Com
plex project.
Cole began with details
of progress relating to gyms
and tennis courts.
“High school tennis
courts - we had spoken last
time about how this is going
to be one project for all five
high schools to get their ten
nis courts,” explained Cole.
“So, it’s not necessarily
overall in the plans with
auxiliary gyms, with the ex
ception of McIntosh. The
project will be bid out in one
long group.”
Cole outlined a comple
tion goal for tennis courts.
“We have a goal of com
pleting our tennis courts in
time for the 2024 high
school tennis seasons,” Cole
said. “If you see on our
timeline, we have a target
completion date of Aug. 24,
which is after the tennis sea
son, but I wanted to explain
that really quick, because
the one school that could be
affected a little bit more
would be McIntosh, because
of where we’re planning to
build those tennis courts.”
“I wanted to make sure
that we gave us enough time
on that target completion
date because I would rather
under-promise on that date
and over-deliver, as op
posed to the other way
around,” Cole continued.
“So, this gives us plenty of
See BOE, A6
INSIDE:
OBITUARIES
FAYETTE VIEWS
A2 SPORTS
A4 LEGALS
A9 FAYETTE FOOTPRINTS
B7 FAYETTE SCHOOL NEWS
CONTACT US: support@fayette-news.net - (770) 461-6317 - fayette-news.net
B5
B4
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