Atlanta Public Schools

There’s an ongoing investigation within the Atlanta Public Schools regarding missing iPads.

According to district spokesperson Steve Alford, sometime last year the iPads he ordered went missing.

“I don’t know the exact date, but I can tell when we began to distribute the iPads and we went through each of the list iPads that we ordered, we realized we were missing ten.”

The iPads were among a batch of 85 ordered for APS communication specialists.

Alfords calls the alleged iPad thefts unfortunate and disturbing.

This week the Atlanta Public Schools superintendent search committee will meet for the first time.

The newly named committee chairwoman says the group is committed to identifying the right finalists.

Ann Wilson Cramer is considered one of Atlanta’s movers and shakers.

She first arrived in Atlanta more than four decades ago and says her advocacy for education is stronger than ever.

“I am filled with optimism,” says the former IBM executive after being asked to serve as chair by APS board chairman Reuben McDaniel.

The attorney for Dr. Beverly Hall says the former Atlanta Public Schools superintendent is innocent and the charges against her will be difficult to prove.

WABE’s Rose Scott sat down with Richard Deane of the Jones Day Law firm to talk about the case against Dr. Hall.

This conversation begins with Deane addressing allegations that a culture of fear and intimidation existed under Dr. Hall.

Atlanta Public Schools superintendent Erroll Davis says the district is continuing to build stronger and more ethical leadership at every level.

This comes after 35 former APS employees have been indicted on charges ranging from racketeering to theft by taking.

Superintendent Erroll Davis says there was no satisfaction in watching former educators walk in and out of the Fulton County jail.

“I believe all failures are leadership failures and I see this as a massive failure of leadership at every level.”

Nearly four years after some Atlanta students sat down to take the 2009 Criterion Referenced Competency Test, the criminal investigation into cheating on those exams and allegations of a culture that supported it, is now being heard by a Fulton County grand jury.

Right now there’s only speculation as to who is testifying and just as important, about what.

Criminal defense attorney and WABE legal analyst Page Pate says in grand jury hearings there’s only one side to be heard.

On Monday morning, March 25th, there was a frightening experience on an Atlanta Public School bus involving an alleged gunman trying to board the bus.

APS spokesperson Steve Smith tells WABE the latest at the time of this posting.

Update from the Atlanta Police Department -- released Monday, March 25, 2013, 4:10 p.m.

This morning at about 0755 hours Officers Carswell and Forte responded to a fight with weapons call at Whitehall and Glenn on a school bus. 

The last Atlanta Board of Education meeting did not include discussion or action regarding Superintendent Erroll Davis’ proposed police force.

  As first reported by WABE in January, since the Newtown, Connecticut, killings, Davis is pushing for the idea to become a reality by the fall school semester.

A police department could mean APS incurring additional legal liabilities.

Atlanta Public Schools officials will host community meetings on Saturday, Feb. 23, and Tuesday, Feb. 26, to talk about proposed changes at four high schools.

Superintendent Erroll Davis wants to change to a small learning communities concept.

It’s an idea the district has been considering for a while and could happen soon.

“We’re looking to make a transition for the 2013-14 school year,” says APS spokesperson Steve Alford.

Right now New Schools at Carver, South Atlanta High School, Therrell High School and Washington all have what’s called small schools, basically four schools within a large campus.

For example, New Schools at Carver has Early College, Technology, Performing Arts, and Health Science and Research as its small schools.

APS wants to transition the four schools into one high school with four academies.

Alford says the change will allow students to attend classes across all the academies.

“Based on the small school structure, if you have student say in a technology school who wants to take an AP class that’s only offered at the art school on the same campus now, that student can’t cross register and go take that AP course there.”

AP stands for Advanced Placement.

Operating the current small schools concept is also expensive says Alford.

Each has their own principal and operate has four small high schools.

Under the new small learning communities’ model, there would be one principal.

However, he says it’s not clear if the changes would also mean layoffs.

“We will realize opportunities because we’re not going to have four principals on campus, we’ll have one in the schools. Obviously, we can re-direct some of those resources to the classrooms and that’s what we want to do.”

The small schools concept was initiated under former superintendent Dr. Beverly Hall.

Following a December deadly shooting spree at a Newton, Connecticut elementary school, Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Erroll Davis began talking about the possible need for the district’s own police department.

Now, the recent shooting at an APS middle school could speed up the district’s decision.

But an Atlanta Public Schools police department could be costly.

President Barack Obama has unveiled the administration’s comprehensive plan regarding gun violence, and it includes how to make schools safer.

Here locally, officials with the Atlanta Public Schools are already considering implementing the district’s own police force.

During this week’s school board meeting, Superintendent Erroll Davis talked about exploring the idea.

Right now APS employs part-time Atlanta Police officers to work as security resource officers, but only in middle and high schools.

It’s an ongoing problem for a local public elementary school, keeping rodents out.

Officials with the Atlanta Public Schools are trying to keep the critters from destroying Thomasville Heights Elementary, located in southeast Atlanta.

It has a small enrollment and it’s become the target of rats.

Since November of 2011, APS officials have been battling the vermin.

Parents have become vocal with their complaints.

Spokesperson Steve Alford says the district has a specialized plan for any school that has a problem with rodents.

It took nearly seven hours, but Monday night the Atlanta Board of Education voted to extend the contract of Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Erroll Davis.

However, the new deal also gives the board greater flexibility for removing Davis.

The nine member board went through many contract variations and several failed motions before agreeing on the 18-month extension.

It passed by a 7 to 2 vote.

After the long, contentious, and sometimes confusing discussion, Chairman Reuben McDaniel translated the terms.

APS and state officials originally thought a faulty boiler caused the carbon monoxide leak at Finch elementary school. But Atlanta superintendent Errol Davis said that changed after they reviewed school surveillance tapes.

“This now has led us down a new path of investigation, and that is the path of human error,” he said.

The tapes show two workers entered the school last week to perform maintenance on the boiler. Associate superintendent Steve Smith says that’s when the mistake was made.

Atlanta Public Schools officials are in the process of making sure carbon monoxide detectors are in all the Schools.

And they’re making sure the boiler that was leaking carbon monoxide won’t be repaired…the school is getting a new one.

District spokesperson Steve Alford says the installation of a new boiler isn’t the only action APS is taking after this week’s carbon monoxide leak sent more than forty to area hospitals.