Clayton Students, Parents Unsure of Future

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Few Clayton County residents ventured out to a county-wide barbecue this Labor Day.

Planners originally hoped the event would celebrate the district's success in maintaining accreditation. Instead, the system lost its accreditation effective today, and many students and parents are uncertain of the future.

WABE's Odette Yousef reports.

The activities at the Beach at Clayton County International Park were supposed to start at 10 this morning

By 1pm, only 3 dozen people were there, mostly staff.

Cyd Cox, vice chair of Clayton County Collaborative Authority, a non-profit that helped to organize the event, looked to the gray sky:

COX: I think it's the weather. I think the only thing we have to worry about is the weather. I think that's what's keeping the people away.

Lovejoy High School senior April Hatcher agrees

HATCHER: No, I don't think the accreditation has anything to do with labor day holiday fun. I think they might not come out because of the weather.

But another high school senior, Brianna Graves, from Morrow High School, says more people may have come if there were something to celebrate:

GRAVES: I've heard people say that they've completely lost faith in their county, that they just, they don't care at this point anymore, so it could be a number of factors. Families are trying to figure out where their kids are going to go to school tomorrow.

For her part, Graves says the troubles that the county's school board brought to the students won't keep her from achieving her goals:

GRAVES: I see no point in letting 9 people who were making arrogant, foolish decisions run me out of my county. So I've decided that I'm going to stay here, I'm going to continue my education in clayton county, I'm going to go off to college, and do everything that I plan to do, and I believe and have faith that everything will be fine.

But another Morrow High School student, junior Kayla Richardson, isn't sure:

RICHARDSON: I don't know if I'm going to stay in the county, but most likely, if it's the choice of my mom, I'm going to leave.

Richardson may end up bunking with siblings in DeKalb or Atlanta, to enroll in one of those districts.

Already, Clayton County schools have enrolled 2000 fewer students than last year a bigger exodus is predicted in the coming weeks.

Clayton County's superintendent has announced a plan to appeal the accreditation decision, within the next 10 days.

Odette Yousef, WABE News.