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Gov. Brian Kemp to appoint a DA to replace
Ken Mauldin, thus giving voters a chance to
choose their DA this November.
Mauldin retired in February, making his
chief assistant, Brian Patterson, the acting
DA. Patterson is also a candidate for the
position. Under an obscure 2018 state law,
if Kemp waits until after May 3—180 days
before the November election—the election
for DA will be pushed back until 2022.
“Ms. Gonzalez does not want to liti
gate this matter, the likely constitutional
infirmities of the statutory scheme not
withstanding,” Adam Sparks of the Atlanta
law firm Krevolin Horst wrote in a letter
to Kemp and his executive counsel, David
Dove, dated Apr. 10. “Even so, she reserves
all options at her disposal should the antic
ipated election not occur due to delay in
exercising the Governor’s vested appoint
ment power. “
Kemp solicited applications for interim
DA in February but has yet to select some
one for the position.
Sparks wrote that the 2018 law is uncon
stitutional and deprives voters of their
rights. Failure to appoint a DA by May 3
would give the appearance of a backroom
deal, he wrote, and it gives the appearance
of trying to prevent the voters from electing
a progressive woman of color who will chal
lenge the status quo in the next scheduled
election. The circumstances are similar to a
vacancy in Douglas County that led to the
2018 law, in which Gov. Nathan Deal waited
10 weeks to make a judicial appointment,
resulting in the election being pushed back
two years, according to Sparks.
Although Patterson and Gonzalez are
both Democrats, even if Kemp makes an
appointment by the deadline, there will
be no primary on June 9. Mauldin’s resig
nation triggered a special election, so the
candidates would face off in the November
general election. [BA]
School’s Out... Forever?
The Clarke County School District has
decided to end the school year three weeks
early, more or less. While students will still
have until May 21 to hand in assignments,
no new assignments will be given out after
May 1.
The coronavirus pandemic got real
during spring break in early March. After
that, teachers and administrators had a
week to come up with a plan for online
learning. Meanwhile, parents were scram
bling to find childcare or figure out how
to work from home while also supervising
their kids.
“We recognized it was a challenge,” com
munications manager Beth Moore said. “It
was a challenge for parents. It was a chal
lenge for teachers. It was a challenge for our
staff, who had to be caregivers at the same
time. And we recognized that all [families]
didn’t have the same resources to do dis
tance learning.”
Interim superintendent Xernona
Thomas stressed that teachers will still be
available to work with students remotely
through May 21. “We haven’t just quit and
packed up, which I think was the percep
tion,” she said.
Students aren’t used to getting assign
ments every day, and not all of them are
caught up, Thomas said. The three-week
grace period will give high school students
a chance to turn in outstanding work and
boost their grades. Middle and elementary
school students will be graded pass/fail for
the semester.
“We don’t want to add to the stress our
families are feeling and our students are
feeling,” she said.
Especially for younger children, nothing
can replace face-to-face teachers, Thomas
said. “The quality of digital learning is not
there when you’re doing this overnight,”
she said. Over the summer, administra
tors will be looking at online instruction
platforms and tools in case schools remain
closed this August.
In addition, the district is looking at
expanding its summer meal program, and
students will be allowed to keep electronic
devices over the summer, Thomas said. [BA]
BOE Sends Back Public
Comment Policy
During meetings of the Clarke County
Board of Education the past few months,
public speakers have told board member
Tawana Mattox such things as, “I wish you
were dead,” and “I know where you live.”
She watched with alarm as the board
meetings sometimes devolved into call-and-
response gatherings. She came to believe
the speakers who couldn’t be civil and
finish their remarks within a three-minute
limit needed a restriction. A policy revision
would have prohibited speakers from speak
ing at board meetings for three months if,
after receiving a warning, they exceeded the
time limit and directed personal comments
to board members.
At their regular April board meeting, the
school board voted 7-2 to send the policy
back to the policy committee for “word-
smithing,” as member Charles Worthy sug
gested. Mattox and policy committee chair
Greg Davis were the only two members vot
ing to move the policy forward with current
revisions.
Member Patricia Yager will survey
school boards around the state to see how
others handle similar issues. Armed with
this information, the policy committee will
then “wordsmith” the policy and return
another revised version to the board. With
the coronavirus outbreak, there’s no chance
of anyone attending a school board meet
ing—possibly not until August—since the
meetings are virtual.
In other actions:
• The board learned the district had $66.8
million in cash on hand in February, that
CCSD is spending much less money on
bus fuel, and that finance officials expect a
drop in ESPLOST revenue.
• It also learned the district has paid the
Employment Law Solution firm $21,000
from the general fund for legal services
through the end of March. Atlanta-based
ELS is the law firm the board hired to
help with Cognia’s accreditation review in
January and negotiate a settlement with
former superintendent Demond Means,
who remains on paid administrative leave
four months after the board voted to
remove him.
• The board approved creating an eight-lane
track at Clarke Central and installing arti
ficial turf on the Clarke Central football
field. The cost for both projects is $6 mil
lion. [Rebecca McCarthy] ©
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Q.
CONNECT
MOVE
VIDEO CHATS ARE MORE CONNECTING
THAN CALLS AND TEXT
TAKE A SHOWER AND GET DRESSED
Reach out to
family and friends,
they are missing
you as much as
you are missing
them.
Set yourself one goal and
get it done right away.
Start each day on a positive
note of fulfillment, it will
keep you going all day long
and will inspire you to
achieve more.
Uncertainty can be scary but there are
some simple things we can do to feel a
whole lot better and help us and others
get through the days ahead with less
confusion and a lot more positivity.
Let's look out for each other.
ZOOM BY
SAY HI!
2PM
MON-FRI
www.nuci.org
HEY ATHENS, LET'S HANG OUT!
ONE TASK A DAY IS ALL IT TAKES TO FEEL
GOOD. DO AS MANY AS YOU CAN BUT
COMPLETE AT LEAST ONE.
No PJs during the day !
Washed and dressed you are
ready for anything the day
gives you, enjoy your porch
and garden, clean house, go
for a walk if you are able.
Nature is not
cancelled
Watch a movie, sing ,
dance, read, create,
cook, learn a language.
Do something you like
and do it every day.
YOU DON'T NEED TO CHECK YOUR FEED
EVERY HOUR.
RELAX
~G
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APRIL 22, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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