Newspaper Page Text
Abortion Alternatives
--See Page 1-B
VOLUME CIII- NUMBER g
Teacher-Related Problems Blamed By Dropouts
Teacher-related problems were listed as the primary
reasons that students have quit going to school in recent years
in Chattooga County, according to results of a survey con
ducted by The Summerville News in cooperation with the
county schools.
A questionnaire developed by The News was sent to
students who have dropped out of school during the past
several years. The Chattooga schools mailed the forms to the
students. An accompanying letter from the newspaper asked
that the questionaire be completed and mailed in pre-stamped
envelopes to The News.
Approximately 500 questionnaires were mailed and 51
responses were received, a return of more than 10 percent. The
usual response to such a survey is around two percent.
However, newspaper officials cautioned that the survey was
not scientific because random sampling was not used. Whether
responses were forthcoming depended solely on the former
students and not on the pollster, the newspaper said.
The major findings of S’ne survey are featured in charts ac
companying this story.
The largest percentage of those responding — 27.4 percent
Indifferent
Parents Hit
By Students
Lack of concern by teachers, boredom, pregnancy, jobs,
indifferent parents — all were reasons cited by teen-agers
who dropped out of school during the past f‘éw years in
Chattooga County.
They responded to a survey of dropouts conducted by
The Summerville News in cooperation with the Chattooga
school system. .
Following are the reasons cited }‘)y students for quitting:
*
I thought I was in lo:e. I §ot prfgnant and got married.
The teachers did not care!!! The never took time out
to explain things to the students. They just gave you an
assignment and said do it. They didn’t offer to do any ex
plaining. They were juit bag teaghers! '
Teacher had took us to Tooga Theater to view a movie.
Mom had said I could go to movie but drop a coat off at
dry cleaners on way back to school..l did, was trying to
use restroom before going on to typing class. (Teal::ier)
came to bathroom door and called ones inside bathroom
“rats.”” I was hurt. I quit.
* * *
Bored to death.
* * *
My dad past away when I was in the Bth grade. I
thou%?t I was gonna go crazy. I met this guy so much like
him that we dated for 1 yr. & 4 mos. and %-Lllater found out
I was pregnant so I never went back. I was pregnant while
finishing the 9th grade;: :
*
1 thought I was inlove and wanted to get married. But
now I know my parent was write and I was wrong. I should
have took there advice and went on through school and col
lege. I would have beer*l betsr off;
I was pragnet and I thoght people would talk about me
so I just quet school.
* * *
Because I got pregnant and after that I had my baby
and then I went back to school after I've got better. I stay
two quarters because my mom got real sick and then I had
to quit because she was keeping my baby at the time. And
then she got well and told me to go back to school if I
wanted to so I went back and later on in about two months
she got right back sick. I have quit and went back to school
about five times and I got tireg of quitting and going back
APPSO S ISP TN SIS NS NI N NI NINSINININ NI NINININI NI NSNS NSNS NN
“Did not know how to do the work
and could not get help.”
A AAAAAAAAAAAAAP SIS SIS
so I stop foing because I didn't have no babysitter. After
she got older, I'm still trying to get my GED because I
want my diploma so bad. I've got to have it. School never
gave me Kroblem. I like the teacher and doing my
work . . . That’s the main thing I need and that's my educa
tion to get that dipioma, and I'm still going to get it no
matter what because I would mean alot to me to know that
1 had finish and learnec*i the }hing*s I needed to know . . .
I wanted to get married so I did. My husband was in
the same grade and made good grades and graduated
earley. So after he was out l qui&.
The teachers don't care if you pass or not. You can't
go us the bathroom when you really have to. Some try help
ing you, most don't care at*all. ‘
(School official) said I would be wasting my time in high
school. I should get in the Army or trade school. I was
suspended three days because 1 would not tell who pulled
a fire alarm at lunch.
* * *
I dropped out of scilool &o get* married and get a job.
Became pregnant, and couldn't finish because of
sickness.
. see INDIFFERENT PARENTS, page 9-A
The Summerville News
10 PERCENT
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA — THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 1988
— blamed teacher-related problems for the decision to quit.
The next largest group, 11.8 percent, said the stidents were
“bored’’ in school. Other significant reasons included getting
behind in school work and grades, pregnancy, job interference
with school and racial reasons.
REASONS
Students also cited marriage, being asked to leave by
school officials, being accused o? illegalities, not having a wafi
to school, being ‘‘in love,”” having to work or caring for i
relatives as reasons for dropping out of school. Only 3.9 per
cent didn't respond to that question.
The average age of those responding to the survey was
slightly more than 20 and they averaged being slightly more
than 16% when they droppe(i] out ofg classes.
Somewhat surprisingly, only 39 percent owned cars at the
time and only 30 percent had jobs.
PARENTS
Almost three-fourths had parents who had dropped out of
school but 86 percent of those responding said their parents
had tried to talk them into staying in scfiool. But it seemed
that the parents’ decisions to quitiad more effect than their
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B e e
2 E e
Jarrells Trial Moved
Loggins Grants Change Of Venue In Case
The accused murderer of a
75-year-old Chattoogaville
woman will go to trial in
Walker County next month
and not in Chattooga County.
That was the ruling Mon
day from Chattooga Superior
Court Judge Joseph “Bo” Log
gins, who granted a change of
venue motion to defense at
torneys after reviewing pre
trial publicity in the case and
a Eurported poll of residents of
Chattooga.
Loggins said he had in
dicated in an earlier hearing
Wesson Paid For Work
Powell’s Decision Ends 18-Month Controversy
An 18-month controversy
between Chattooga Count
Commissioner Harry Powefi
and a Teloga body shop owner
over payment for work done on
three sheriff's patrol cars came
to a quiet end last week.
Powell paid $2,000 to Larry
Wesson, the body shop owner.
And Wesson, in turn, released
an impounded patrol car to the
county — after he had cashed
the county check.
CASHED CHECK
Wesson was given the
check by Albert Palmour, who
had represented Powell in legal
action involving the patrol
cars. The body shop owner
then left the office of his at
torney, Carlton Vines, and
went to a bank to cash the
check.
After his réturn to Vines'
office, Palmour told Wesson
that the agreement called for
Leadership Retreat
.-See Page 3-4
© Copyright 1988 By Espy Publishing Co., Inc. — All Rights Reserved
Reasons Given For Quitting School
that if a change of venue mo
tion was granted, he would
likely bring jurors from
another county to Summerville
to try Jonathen Jarrells, 31.
However, he said further
research indicated that court
rules allowing jurors to be
drawn from one county for a
trial in another county had not
been “‘tested’’ in higher courts
as they relate to t%e Georgia
Constitution.
He then ruled that Jarrells,
a resident of Oceana, W.Va.
prior to his arrest last Aug. 18
the patrol car that Wesson had
kept impounded since mid
summer, 1986, to be delivered
to the county public works
camp on Stockade Road in
Summerville.
Wesson agreed to drive the
fiatrol car to the camp but said
e felt it should have been
delivered to the sheriff’s office.
The settlement also called
for the dismissal of Wesson's
lawsuit against Powell.
Wesson said the $2,000
payment from Powell was
satisfactory. It paid him for the
cost of repairs to the 1983
model patrol car and for the in
stallation of cages and painting
two new (in IQgSG) patrol cars.
The Teloga resident said the
payment also took care of some
storafe charfiles on the 1983
model car, which Wesson had
held in lieu of payment. since
late summer, 1986.
Wesson had won a $2,083
words since 86 percent said parental background had no effect.
Only 25 percent were involved in extra-curricular school
activities, the survey results indicated. i
Thirty-three percent said teachers tried to keep them from
quitting. Although some of the answers were vague and hard
to categorize, several dropouts seemed to indicate that they
would have, or might have, remained in school if more interest
had been shown in them.
Sixty-three percent of the dropouts said they regretted
quitting schoolpand would insist that their own ciildren
graduate from high school. However, that percentage was
significantly lower than the 86 percent who said their own
parents tried to get them to stay in classes.
Some who hag quit school were still single and of those
who had married, 36 percent said their spouses were also
dropouts. Some added, however, that their spouses or
themselves had taken or were taking adult education courses
or had passed the General Ecsuivalency Diploma (GED) test.
Of t%ose who owned vehicles, the average model year was
1977 — 10 years old as of late last year. A couple, however,
said they had restored older model ‘“‘classic’’ vehicles, perhaps
in Kentucky, would be tried in
another county. In response to
a question from Loggins,
defense and firosecution at-
Lome%s said t eY had agreed
that Walker would be suitable
as the trial site.
Loggins pointed out that
when jurisdiction was transfer
red to Walker, all court files
and evidence would be
transferred to the Walker clerk
of court and sheriff.
Jarrells was transferred
from the Chattooga jail at mid
morning Tuesday and in
judgment against Powell in
Chattooga Nfagistrate’s Court
in late August, 1987. The rul
ing was handed down by Judge
Albert Kirby of Floyd County
Magistrate's Court. Jon
Payne, chief Chattooga
magistrate, disqualified
himself to hear the case.
However, Powell appealed
Kirby's ruling to Chattooga
State Court in late September,
1987, where the case had re
mained until last Thursday,
Jan. 14.
Wesson had sued Powell in
Magistrate’s Court in April,
1987, seeking $2,474.50 in
what Wesson said were past
due bills for work done on
sheriff's department vehicles
and for storage costs. ‘“The
court feels that, to some
degree, (Wesson) was a partici
pant in the dispute that
resulted in his initiating
see WESSON, page 11:A
REGRETTED
carcerated in the Walker jail at
LaFayette.
Loggins also drew prospec
tive jurors for the case early
Tuesday afternoon at the
Walker courthouse. The ten
tative trial date of Feb. 22 re
mained valid early this week.
The change o?l venue was
the first granted in Chattooga
since the Tony West case in
1984, court officials said. West,
who was one of two men accus
ed in the slayings of two alleg
ed devil-worsiitppers in a
remote section of the county,
see JARRELLS, page 11-A
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Staff Photo By Tommy Toles
LARRY WESSON DELIVERS 1983 MODEL PATROL CAR TO WORKS CAMP
Teloga Body Shop Owner Paid $2,000 For Work On Vehicles
L
School Board Angry
--See Page 2-B 1
skewing the results downward.
AYCHECKS
The average week}; pay othose who resgnded with
figures was $233, ?Eparently the gross amount before deduc
tions for tax, social security and insurance.
Almost 40 percent of the students said they had *‘fair”
grades when they quit while 31 percent said their grades were
“good." Slightly more than 23 percent said their grades were
“bad’ or failing.
Of those wfio had cars when they stopped attendi
classes, 74 percent said they would have dropped out of schafi
even if they had not had a vehicle at their disposal.
JOBS
Of those who had jobs — whether fulltime or parttime —
slightly more than 61 percent said they would have quit even
if tghey had not had a job.
More than 72 percent said th? had not had any Eroblems
with school officials when they dropped out but other ques
tions on the form indicated that some problems had arisen
with school officials.
see TEACHER-RELATED PROBLEMS, page 8-A
Chattooga Is
First Again
In Dropouts
Chattooga County last year
earned the gubious Xistinction
of having the highest dropout
rate in Georgia gor the second
year in a row.
The county system also was
one of only four systems in the
state to post a dropout rate in
double digits cfixring the
1986-87 school year.
GOOD NEWS
There were only two items
of ‘‘good news'’ found in
figures compiled by the State
Department of Education:
(1) The county school
system'’s dropout rate didn’t
worsen — it remained 11.9 per
cent in grades eight through
12, the same as in 1985-86;
(2) The Trion city school
system's already low rate dip
ped eight-tenths of a point dur
ing the two-year period.
In addition, the 1986-87
dropout figures were recorded
before any of the county school
system’s stay-in-school pro
firams went in effect. Those
ropout prevention programs
include a ““homework hotline,”
high school tutoring project,
stay-in-school coordinator and
a Chattooga Chamber of Com
merce effort to encourage
employers to make sure that
their high school employees re
main in school until
graduation.
PROGRAM
The dropout prevention
rograms went in egect in mid
?all, 1987. School officials have
PRICE 25¢
said they hope that the effort
will reap a lower dropout rate
durin§ the current 1987-88
schoo! tyear. Final dro%out
figures for the current school
year aren’t expected to be
available until December, 1988
or January, 1989.
Two Northwest school
systems that had dro¥out
prevention programs in effect
in 1986-87 continued to have
high rates last year. Murray
County posted a rate of 9.7 per
cent for grades eight through
12 while Whitfield County
recorded a 9.2 percent dropout
rate.
Special Report
By The News
What Can Be Done
About Chattooga
County’s Dropout Rate?
Murray'’s rate skyrocketed
three points from 6.6 percent in
1985-86 to 9.7 percent last
school year. Whitgeeld's rate in
creased from 8.6 percent in
1985-86 to 9.2 percent in
1986-87. The state supplied
The News with the figures
when they couldn’t be obtain
ed from either system. The
original figures were sent to
the state from the school
systems themselves.
see CHATTOOGA, page 9-A