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Thursday, April 14, 2022 | Volume 134 Number 52 | Jasper, Georgia | 24 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1.00
Are school dropouts on the rise here?
132 students left local schools to be homeschooled in last year
By Larry Cavender
Progress Contributor
A disturbing trend has manifested itself across the nation
over the past couple of years, and that is an increase in student
dropouts from our public schools.
Is that also the trend locally in Pickens schools? Not so
much, technically, according to Superintendent Tony Young.
In a recent interview with the Pickens Progress, the superin
tendent shared this year's local system dropout numbers.
Thus far during the 2021-22 school year, nearly 30
dropouts have been recorded in Pickens. The numbers are
codified by the state, and according to those codes, Pickens
County has 15 dropouts that are the result of unknown rea
sons, 13 have been removed from rolls for lack of attendance,
and one has been expelled. Young said these numbers are
very much in line with previous years.
Historically, Pickens County has had a dismal dropout
rate, but because of aggressive steps taken by the local school
system in the past couple of decades, those numbers have im
proved greatly. In the 1990s, the local system's dropout rate
was definitely on the much lower end of the state average. In
the past, the Pickens graduation rate hovered barely above 70
percent, but more recently, graduations have been above 95
percent.
However, there is one other number that is surprising, if
not extremely significant. Young says that 132 students have
been removed from local school rolls in the past year to be
homeschooled.
According to the official state withdrawal codes, students
who leave public schools for a homeschool environment are
not considered to be "dropouts," so "technically," Pickens
County recorded only 29 dropouts during the 2021-22 school
year. Young added that the students who left this year for
homeschooling are part of a continuing trend during the past
three academic years, each of which was affected in some
manner by the coronavirus pandemic. Over those three years,
the superintendent estimates approximately 300 students
have left the local system to be homeschooled.
Nationwide, the increase in dropout rates began at the
same time coronavirus began spreading more than two years
ago. There is much speculation as to the reasons for this. It
may simply be the change in lifestyles which were necessi
tated by COVID-19 protocols, with many people quitting
their jobs to stay at home with children who were being
taught virtually. Perhaps some parents became acclimated to
being at home with their children and are reluctant to change
their behavior.
Parents also may have looked for alternative choices be
cause of the protocols enacted during the pandemic. This
seems especially true in states where such protocols were the
most stringent. In Georgia, a state where protocols were not
as extreme, the dropout rate, according to official Georgia
Department of Education
See Dropouts on 11A
Commission
candidate
forum
April 20th
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
The Pickens Republican
party will host a forum for
candidates in both the east
and west end commission
seats races on April 20th at
7 p.m. at the community
center in Roper Park.
Two of the three county
commission member seats
are up for grabs in the May
24 primary election with in
cumbent Jerry Barnes opting
to not run again for his west
end seat and the east seat
being vacated by the resig
nation of Becky Denney late
last year.
All candidates qualifying
for the west end seat were
on the Republican side.
They are Brian Cleghom,
David Shouse, Josh Tippens,
Ricky Tucker and Robert
Watson.
Technically the east side
seat is a non-partisan race to
fill Denney’s unexpired
term. GOP chair Chris Mora
said they would welcome
the two candidates for that
seat Dave Garner and Josh
Tatum.
Mora said the forum will
use questions posed by a
panel from the local party
that offers candidates the
chance to show “that they
understand the job.”
He said candidates for
east and west may be sepa
rated at different tables or
have signs showing districts
but all will respond to the
same questions in one
Quick Burger closed after weekend fire
Cleanup/repair already underway
photos/Angela Reinhardt
Quick Burger owner Don Hoy surveys
the three-door cooler where the fire started
due to a faulty fan.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The charred smell that hung inside Quick
Burger mid-day Monday was thick and per
meating. It was the kind of smell that sticks
in your nose and hangs in your clothes for
hours. A thick layer of soot covered what ap
peared to be every square inch of the restau
rant - counters, styrofoam to-go containers,
barstools.
Quick Burger owner Don Hoy and work
ers with a restoration company were in the
dark near the cooler that caught on fire two
days before. They’d left a trail of footprints
on the black-and-white checked floor on the
walk there from
Early this week a thick layer of soot covered everything inside Quick
Burger restaurant, located on Highway 53 East near Tate. A fire broke
out inside last weekend.
See forum on 11A
See Quick Burger on 11A
Sports
PHS Girls Tennis
team moves ahead
in region playoffs
Page 1B
Obituaries - 6A
Joe VanSant Sr.
Linda Davis
Mack Gay
Mark Walker
Robert Austin
Richard Gahan
Shelby Duncan
Tommy McPherson
Warren Cagle
Cleanup Month
Veterans seek to move Main Street monument
as part of expansion plans at Memorial Park
The Pickens County Veter- ment currently in front of the
ans Memorial Park Inc. Pickens County Courthouse
(PCVMP) plans to move the to the Veterans Memorial
large marble veterans monu- Park as part of their Phase II
Big crowd on a blustery day
for Spring Family Fair
Saturday’s Spring Family Fair at The Pregnancy Center
campus drew more than 350 people despite cold and
windy weather, said Patti Johnson, communications di
rector. “We were blessed to open our campus to the com
munity in this new and unique way.” See story Page 10A.
Above, kids with prizes enjoying the day.
Frank Leist with the 19 piece marble monument at the
courthouse. The veterans park group hopes to relocate this
recognized monument to the memorial park in Lee Newton
Park.
expansion.
The monument was dedi
cated at the courthouse in
1949 and was the center-
point for all veterans events
in town until recently. As of
now, the marble monument
recognizes 55 names of local
servicemen.
According to Frank Leist,
PCVMP treasurer, the mon
ument will become the cen
ter-piece of the upgraded
park. “When we
put it there that will be inclu
sive. It will really be a Veter
ans Memorial Park,” said
Leist.
Leist’s main goal now is
to make sure the families of
those listed on the monu
ment know what is happen
ing, and to make sure he
finds the money to get the
project done.
The monument currently
belongs to the county.
“Rob Jones was the com
missioner when we got the
agreement to move it, and he
said when you do it, make
sure the families know what
you’re doing. When Kris
(Stancil) became commis
sioner his stance was the
same,” Leist said, reiterating
that he continues to try to
reach out to the families in
any way he can.
The next question, natu
rally, is how do they plan on
moving something so large.
Leist went to the com
pany that did the monument
originally, Blue Ridge Mar
ble & Granite Company in
Nelson, and met with people
See Vet Park on 11A
Small but mighty
team from KPB
tackles roadside
trash
Page12A
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