Newspaper Page Text
Jarrells Gets Hearing
--See Page 1-B
« ulill=- NUMBER I 1
Charges by a number of school
dropouts that teacher-related problems
are why they stopped attending classes
aren’t valic{, according to three top
Chattooga County educators.
Instead, the students quoted last
week in a survey by The Summerville
News used the ‘“uncaring teacher’’ cita
tion as an excuse because they and their
parents failed to assume more respon
sibility for their own education, the
educators said.
EDUCATORS INTERVIEWED
Don Hayes, Chattooga school
superintendent; Jack Herring, princ‘isal
of Chattooga High School; and Will
Hair, vocational supervisor at CHS and
an educational activist who is involved
with the dropout problem, all discuss
ed the survey’s results in a group inter
Abuse Reports Leap
Chattooga’s Referrals Up By 91 Cases
The number of reported
child abuse cases increased
dramatically in Chattooga
County last year over 1986, ac
cording to figures compiled by
the Chattooga Department of
Family and Children Services
(DFCg).
Figures for calendar year
1987 are not available g'om
other counties in Georgia but
the sheer number of cases
reported appears to make
Chattooga's rate one of the
highest and most severe in the
state.
A total of 246 cases was
reported in 1987, up 91 cases
from the 1986 total of 155. The
1986 figure was down from 185
cases reported in 1985 and 181
cases in 1984.
HIGH RATE
Chattooga County had an
abuse rate of 11.44 last year,
usinE methodology develoged
by the Georgia Extension Ser
vice. In contrast, the county’s
1986 rate was 7.09 after rising
to 8.28 per 1,000 people in 1984
and 8.46 in 1985. The high rate
was reported by The News in
February, 1987.
The é,xtension Service said
any county with an abuse rate
of 5.32 to 9.44 had a “‘severe”
problem. Chattooga’s rate last
year exceeded the highest
‘“severe’’ rating by two points.
The state average in fiscal
year 1983-84 was 3.87. The
state’s rate in fiscal year 1986
CHATTOOGA COUNTY
CPS REFERRAL TYPES
Sexual Other 3.2%
Abuse
6.9%
Physical /
Abuse
15.0%
Neglect
74.9%
Che Summeruille News
Responsibility Lies With Parents, Students
view with Tommy Toles, editor of the
News.
The educators believed that teachers
in the county system were hurt by the
survey requts. The criticism by the
dropouts wasn't valid, they contended,
because teachers don’t give up on a stu
dent until a student gives u%on himself.
The( also cont,endetfl that the dropouts
couldn’t get along with their peers and
teachers and that those same
characteristics will show up in the
workplace.
SUMMARY
In other comments, the educators:
* Acknowledged that some parents
and students have the perception that
teachers don’t care.
* Asserted that lparents and the
community don’t place enough em
— which ended on June 30,
1986 — was 5.07.
TREND
The Chattooga figures and
those of the state continue to
reflect a nationwide trend but
prosecutors and social workers
aren't sure if actual abuse is in
creasing or if existing abuse is
being reiorted more readily
than in the past — or a com
bination of both.
Special Report
CHILD ABUSE
Neglect continued to be the
main child abuse problem in
Chattooga last year. Of the 246
cases, 185 involved neglect —
not providing adequate food,
clothing, shelter or medical
care for a child.
Of the 155 cases reported in
1986, 120 involved neglect.
Sexual abuse often receives
more headlines than other
types of abuse — especially
neglect — because criminal
charges may be filed, but it is
still third behind nei}ect and
Ehysical abuse in Chattooga
ounty.
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA — THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 1988
EDUCATORS SAY IN RESPONSE TO DROPOUT SURVEY
NEGLECT
csa Al 15 nt of the
'afix?eém promt year in
volved neglect while 15 percent
involved physical abuse.
Almost seven percent were for
sexual abuse. Those percen
tages translates into 37
physical abuse and 17 sexual
abuse cases.
The Child Protective Ser
vices (CPS) unit of the Chat
tooga DFCS averaged almost
34 abuse cases per month in
1987, according to David Tid
more, senior casework super
visor for the DFCS. That was
up from a little over 27 cases
per month in 1986.
The state will require each
county to name a committee to
develop a child abuse protocol
by July 1. Purpose of the pro
tocol is to ensure coordination
and cooperation between all
agencies involved in in
vestigating child abuse.
NO ACTION
No action had been taken at
mid-month on setting up a pro
tocol for Chattooga. %hattooga
Superior Court Judge Joseph
“Bo"’ Loggins namefi Juvenile
Court Judge Jerry Westbrook
to head the panes., Westbrook
said on Jan. 18 that he hadn’t
take any action to set up the
panel.
However, Tidmore said
coodination between agencies
involved in investigating abuse
isn't a problem in Chattooga.
Trion Motorist Killed
--See Page 16-A
phasis on the importance of education
and aren't involved with their children
or the schools.
* Didn't respond specifically to a
question about whether any of the
criticisms leveled at teachers by the
dropouts were valid.
* Denied that the ability of teachers
to spot potential dropouts in early
elementary school grages would be a
self-fulfilling prophecy.
* Agreed that teachers may be over
ly sensitive to criticism because of the
national spotlight on Fublic education
and the lack of a sufficient pay raise
from the state.
~ * Said all the county’s teachers who
had taken the Teacher gertification Test
had passed the examination.
“Jléveßi%‘eCcourltl, the Ehafii
an a Oork wi
tbgétfiét:‘gffif’iMro—‘ '
blem here.”
Tidmore serves on a
Training-Community Educa
tion Committee set up by
Georgia Risk Assessment
Management Systems
(GRAMS) to develop materials
for presentation to community
groups and mandated child
abuse and training for all coun
ty CPS personnel in the state.
GRAMS
“The Risk Management ap
;éroach focuses on risk,”
RAMS officials said. ‘lt uses
social work skills and prin
ciples to determine if a case
needs to be opened with the
agency to ensure the safety
and well-being of a child. The
present method of assessing
reported cases of abuse...is
incident-based. The new
sKstem requires a different
thinking process; one which
looks at the entire family
system.”
“This is a social work
model,”” Tidmore pointed out.
“It is not a police, legal or
medical model.” It’s designed
to help social workers deter
mine i? a child is in danger of
bein% abused and to take ac
tion before an incident actual
ly occurs.
Tidmore thinks a signifi
cant amount of child abuse has
existed in the county all alon
“but people haven't recognizeg
what they need to do to let us
know about it.”” Informational
campaigns and the “‘lt’s Okay
to Tell” program have increas
ed awareness of abuse among
children and adults, he
see ABUSE, page 12-A
o e
New Mailing
.
System Begins
At The News
Mail subscribers to The
Summerville News may notice
a different mailing label on
their newspaper this week.
The News has initiated a
new in-house com(f)uterized
mailing system, said Winston
E. Espy, publisher, and David
Espy, general manager of the
pugfi’cation. “It's part of our
continuing effort to upgrade
and modernize our service to
our readers,” they said.
RENEWAL
The new system will allow
the newspaper to provide more
timelY renewal notices and per
sonal contact with its
subsgribers. It will also reduce
the error rate and more effi
ciently process address
changes or correction notices.
As with any new system, a
few ‘‘bugs’’ may show up dur
ing the next week or so, owners
e see NEW MAILING, page 12-A
CARING TEACHERS
* Some teachers are more caring
than others and that teachers do
sometimes become upset with their
students.
* The schools are ready to cooperate
in ending the ‘‘us vs. them' mentality
between schools, parents and the com
munity — if parents will become more
involved and active with the schools and
their children.
* The fact that the county system
has the highest dropout rate in Georgia
for the second year in a row is indicative
of the community’s attitude toward
good education.
* Education traditionally lags
behind society because of the manner in
which public schools are funded.
* Tfie percentage of students
graduating in the county system has
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P RIR S DI R ETE Ay T i e
LITTLE SOIL LEFT FOR COVERING AT LANDFILL ON PENN BRIDGE ROAD
State Plans To Give County Deadline For Closing Existing Facility
) g = 3
Landfill To Close?
No Replacement In Sight, EPD Reports
Chattooga County Commis
sioner Harry Powell within the
next 30 days will be given a
date for closing the existing
landfill at the f%ot of Taylors
Ridge, The News has learned.
And the county may be
forced to haul soil to the {and
fill temporarily to cover gar
bage and debris until the site
is officially closed, the
newspaper was told by state
officials.
In related matters, The
News learned:
* The only site in the coun
ty currently under considera
tion by the state for a sanitary
landfifi is one on which the Ci
ty of Summerville has taken no
action.
DEBRIS ONLY
* A Lookout Mountain loca
tion mentioned earlier by
Powell has not been tested but
is under consideration as a
location for only tree stumps,
limbs and construction debris
— and not for household
garba%e.
*lf Powell does lease or
buy a new sanitary landfill site,
there is no re(fll:irement that it
be shared with municipalities
in the county.
* The Penn Bridge Road
landfill has virtually reached
its capacity and no replace
ment 1s in sight, at least from
the state's viewpoint.
TEMPORARY
* The county may be given
been increasing during the last three
decades.
* More liberal, student-oriented pro
grams such as those of the late IQ%OS
and early 1970 s wouldn't improve
education.
* Teachers perhaps should take
more time to explain to students the
limitations that teachers are under at
school.
* Educators are constantly pushing
use of the Homework Hotline an
tutorial program at CHS, and a new
tutorial program began this week at the
middle school.
INTERVIEW
The entire interview follows:
* * *
THE NEWS: The obvious question
is, do you think the views of former
a temporary state permit to
ogerate the existing landfill un
til a new site is approved, but
it may, in the meantime, have
to haul soil to the Penn Bridge
Road facility to cover garbage.
* A lack of personnel in Sxe
Georgia Environmental Pro
tection Division (EPD) of the
Department of Natural
Resources caused the Chat
tooga landfill situation to be
placed on the back burner tem
porarily in 1987.
Clark Reynolds, director of
the EPD’s North Georgia of
Chamber Meeting Tonight
The annual Chattooga
County Chamber of Commerce
banquet will be held at 7 p.m.
today, two weeks after a
massive winter storm caused it
to be postponed. Tonight's Ero—
gram will be held in the Chat
tooga Hl\idgh School cafeteria.
im Minter, senior editor of
The Atlanta Journal-
Constitution, will be the
speaker. George A. Hanson,
executive vice 'president of the
Dalton-Whitfield County
Chamber, will install new
officers.
TICKETS
Advance tickets are sls
and tickets at the door will be
Hospital Deficit Dips
--See Page 9-A
fice, said the loss of a key
regional representative on his
staff in 1987 and the time re
quired to train a new person
resulted in a delay in action by
the state last year.
“Things just fell through
the cracks,”’ he said.
TIMETABLE
However, the EPD plans to
develop a timetable for closing
the existin%, landfill and pre
sent it to ‘Powell within the
ne):it. month, an EPD official
said.
S2O.
Eddy Ellenburg, a Summer
ville banking executive, will be
installed as the new Chamber
president, succeeding Bill Kin
(z{y, Trion school superinten
ent. Kinzy will introduce
sgecial guests and preside at
the meeting. EllenburF is ex
‘pected to outline his plans for
the comifig year.
Will Hair, 1985 Chamber
president, will Fresent the in
vocation. Chattooga’s Com
pany H will present the colors
under the direction of Sgt. Joe
Raburn.
Hugh Hendersor, 1986
Chamber president, will make
special presentations.
dropouts that teacher-related problems
were the main reason they quit school
are valid?
HERRING: I personally don't think
they are valid. I think anybody that is
a failure at one thins or anotger — in
this case being school — or vag up on
school before graduation, I think that
maybe in their minds this may be real
but I think they have to have an excuse.
HAYES: I don't believe we have a
teacher in this system who hasn’t bent
over backwards to help any child they
can help. They re here early in the mor
ning and late in the afternoon and I kind
of personally resent the (allegation) that
teachers don't care. We have a fine, fine
staff at the high school and elementary
see RESPONSIBILITY, page 10-A
Outlining the time
consuming £rocess for obtain
ing approval for a new landfill
location, Reynolds said the
state hopes a new facility will
be in use in Chattooga within
the next six months.
In the meantime, the state
is considering issuing a tem
porary permit that would allow
the county to ‘“air fill"” the cur
rent Penn Bridge Road landfill.
With that process, garbage
may be dumped atop already
filled trenches, compacted and
see LANDFILL, page 12-A
PRIZES
Grady McCalmon, Sum
merville city manager and
president-elect of the (fifamber
will preside over the distribu
tion of door prizes.
Sue Spivey, executive vice
resident of the Chattooga
r(J?hamber. will introduce Han
son, who will install the new of
ficers and directors.
Tommy Toles, editor of The
Summerville News, will in
troduce Minter.
The speaker has been senior
editor of the Atlanta
newspapers since 1986. Prior
to that, he was editor of both
papers.
PRICE 25c¢