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Atlanta Alerts

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Atlanta. Written by Emma Hurt, Kristal Dixon and Thomas Wheatley.

Axios Atlanta

Axios Atlanta Thought Bubble

The city of Atlanta and its partners will soon help hundreds of people living in a dilapidated apartment complex find new housing.

State of play: The families have to move out of Forest Cove apartments by the end of the year after an Atlanta Municipal Court judge last December condemned the complex because of its appalling conditions, which were extensively documented by WABE.

In April 2021, Millennia Housing Management purchased the federally subsidized apartment complex with plans to rehab the buildings, Atlanta Civic Circle reported.

On Monday, Mayor Andre Dickens signed legislation to use $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan money to help relocate residents. 

The money will be allocated to the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, which is teaming up with the city to help residents find new housing. 

What they’re saying: Ayana Gabriel, vice president of community impact with the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, tells Axios that it will work with other nonprofits to help find affordable units for residents.

The first preference is to keep residents within the city limits, but Gabriel says they have the final say in where they want to live. 

“I think we also have to remember that some people may want to use this as an opportunity to make a different choice for their family,” she said.

Gabriel tells Axios she feels a “sense of urgency” with moving residents because of the complex’s conditions. For years, residents have battled health and safety issues such as rats, mold and mildew, trash building up on the property and unstable flooring. 

Of note: Housing advocates have asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate the complex’s owner, alleging Millennia operates other housing complexes in “slum-like conditions,” according to WABE’s Stephannie Stokes.

Millennia responded to the request with a six-page statement.

Meanwhile: Closing Forest Cove will have a domino effect on its youngest residents. Atlanta Public Schools announced this year that it will temporarily close Thomasville Heights Elementary starting next school year since its enrollment will drop to about 60 students once the Forest Cove pupils leave.

Thomasville Heights students will begin attending classes at Slater Elementary School on Aug. 3.

Greg Giornelli, president of Purpose Built Schools Atlanta, which manages Thomasville Heights in partnership with APS, said in a statement that the school’s staff will be merged with colleagues at Slater. 

APS school board member Katie Howard tells Axios that Thomasville Heights’ principal will also move to Slater, which will help in the transition.

“At the end of the day, no one should be living those conditions,” she said. “So, my focus is making sure that families and children are supported during this time.”

Atlanta prepares to relocate Forest Cove residents

On Monday, Mayor Andre Dickens signed legislation to use $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan funds to help relocate residents.

Ground covered in trash at Forest Cove. Photo: Alphonso Whitfield/WABE

The city of Atlanta and its partners will soon help hundreds of people living in a dilapidated apartment complex find new housing.State of play: The families have to move out of Forest Cove apartments by the end of the year after an Atlanta Municipal Court judge last December condemned the complex because of its appalling conditions, which were<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" extensively documented by WABE" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wabe.org/forest-cove/" data-vars-content-id="21ccb34d-ab0d-439f-9db0-a5d6e16e563e" data-vars-headline="Atlanta prepares to relocate Forest Cove residents" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wabe.org/forest-cove/" target="_blank"> extensively documented by WABE</a>.

News

A month after Druid Hills High School students made a video revealing critical infrastructure issues at their 100-year-old facility, their peers in north DeKalb County are sounding a similar  alarm. 

Driving the news: On Monday, Lakeside High School students posted a video of some of the issues at their facility on Briarcliff Road, including sewage backups, mold, rainwater seeping into the building, missing ceiling tiles, filthy toilets, mold, roaches and rodents. 

In the video, the viewer can see small puddles of standing water along the walls in one classroom.

A student on the swim and dive team said the school’s pool is in “horrible condition” and that its water is filled with rust that’s leaked from pipes. He also said the pool’s boiler is broken.  

Why it matters: Parents and students clamoring for the DeKalb County School District to address the problems say children should not be forced to attend classes in buildings riddled with mold and other issues that can affect their health and safety.

What they’re saying: The students say they aren’t the only school in DeKalb suffering from maintenance and infrastructure issues.

“We hope that this video helps raise awareness about the things that are going on not just at Lakeside High School, but at other schools in DeKalb County,” one student said in the video.

The other side: Lakeside is 56 years old. A 2021 Facility Condition Assessment identified more than $10 million in needed improvements, DeKalb schools spokesperson Donald Porter tells Axios.

Porter says that over the past few years, the district has worked with Board of Education members to address immediate needs and come up with a plan for longer-term projects for its schools.

“To be sure, this labor-intensive work takes time and significant funding,” Porter says. “Yet, progress is being made every day.”

Catch up quick: Despite the video of Druid Hill's issues and pleas for fixes, DeKalb board members voted to focus on the most serious issues at all schools instead of adopting a resolution to modernize Druid Hills.

Earlier this week, students and parents from Cross Keys High School in Brookhaven issued a news release calling on the district to fix problems at their 64-year-old facility. 

The issues there include mold on floor tiles, malfunctioning air conditioning systems, cracks in school walls, “dilapidated” portable classrooms with no internet connections and drainage issues.

Tell us: Are you a parent, student or staff member at a metro Atlanta school with mounting infrastructure problems? We want to know what you're seeing. Email us at atlanta@axios.com.

Students at another DeKalb school highlight maintenance issues

Illustration of a school bus with a money band-aid on it.

A month after Druid Hills High School students made a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="video" data-vars-click-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf5tdZBmlXE" data-vars-content-id="5451737c-e03f-44ff-acbf-a38fba168cac" data-vars-headline="Students at another DeKalb school highlight maintenance issues" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf5tdZBmlXE" target="_blank">video</a> revealing critical infrastructure issues at their 100-year-old facility, their peers in north DeKalb County are sounding a similar alarm. Driving the news: On Monday, Lakeside High School students posted a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="video" data-vars-click-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvh2DWF4z_0" data-vars-content-id="5451737c-e03f-44ff-acbf-a38fba168cac" data-vars-headline="Students at another DeKalb school highlight maintenance issues" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvh2DWF4z_0" target="_blank">video</a> of some of the issues at their facility on Briarcliff Road, including sewage backups, mold, rainwater seeping into the building, missing ceiling tiles, filthy toilets, mold, roaches and rodents.

Parents in Midtown are pushing back against Atlanta Public Schools’ plans to rezone their children to attend a new elementary school.

Driving the news: The district wants to use the former Inman Middle School in Virginia-Highland as a new elementary school for students who would eventually attend Midtown High School. 

More than 800 students would be affected by the recommendation put forth by Superintendent Lisa Herring.

The Atlanta Board of Education voted 5-4 last Monday to approve the first reading of Herring’s recommendation. 

School board members are slated to give a final vote on Herring’s recommendation later in the summer. If approved, it’ll go into effect in 2023. 

How would this affect your kid? Herring’s proposal calls for moving about 200 Morningside Elementary students and 493 Springdale Park Elementary students into the new boundary.

It would also redistrict 171 students from Mary Lin Elementary to Springdale Park’s attendance zone and nine students from Springdale to Morningside’s boundary. 

The recommendation notes the changes would reduce overcapacity at Mary Lin, Morningside and Springdale Park elementary schools.

What they’re saying: Amy Harward, who has children enrolled at Springdale Park who would attend the new school, said she and other parents don’t understand the district’s reasoning behind the boundary changes. 

She also said the plan does not address overcrowding at Midtown High School, which Harward said has been a long-standing issue. 

Harward and other parents have floated the idea of using the former middle school as the site for the Springdale Park — or SPARK — dual campus.

There’s also a petition started by parents who are opposed to the boundary changes and support the dual campus.

“At this point, what it does more than solving a long-term solution is that it disrupts neighborhoods and neighbors,” Mary Lin Elementary School parent Erin Dundas tells Axios. “It pulls people apart when what we need is the stability of continuing to rely on the neighbors that helped us get through the last two years.”

The other side: Board member Cynthia Briscoe Brown, who voted in favor of the recommendation, said during last week’s meeting that schools in the Midtown cluster will need extra support and planning over the next year to make any option work.

“I am confident that the administration will be able to do that, but we’ll be watching carefully to make sure it happens,” she said.  

Yes, but: Board member Michelle Olympiadis, who represents the targeted schools, told Axios on Friday that she voted against the recommendation because the community wasn’t given enough time to learn more about Herring’s proposal. 

“We were never going to make everybody happy, but there needs to be a process in place so that people feel as if they’ve been heard,” she said. 

Editor's note: The story has been corrected by removing a reference stating that SPARK would be open to other Midtown cluster students. The headline was also changed to reflect that some, not all, parents are against the rezoning plan.F

Some Midtown parents say "no" to school rezoning plan

The district wants to use the former Inman Middle School in Virginia-Highland to serve as a new elementary school for students who would eventually attend Midtown High School.

The former Inman Middle School. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios

Parents in Midtown are pushing back against Atlanta Public Schools’ plans to rezone their children to attend a new elementary school.Driving the news: The district wants to use the former Inman Middle School in Virginia-Highland as a new elementary school for students who would eventually attend Midtown High School.

Parents and community members continue to hold the DeKalb County Board of Education’s feet to the fire over how it’s responded to serious infrastructure issues at its oldest school.

Driving the news: The latest round of criticism was heard Monday when the board voted to approve its five-year Local Facilities Plan without including Druid Hills High School.

Submitting the plan to the Georgia Department of Education allows the district to apply for reimbursements with state funding for improvement projects.

Hans Williams, director of planning and education SPLOST programming, said the board could vote to add a resolution to update and repair Druid Hills and other schools at a later date.

That didn’t seem to satisfy some audience members, several of whom pressed the board on why the school was not included in the original plan.

Catch up quick: News about the conditions at Druid Hills circulated rapidly after students produced a video showing some of the building's problems.

It prompted a visit from the state Department of Education’s facilities team and heavy criticism from State Schools Superintendent Richard Woods. 

Despite protests and pleas from students, DeKalb board members voted to focus on the most serious issues at all schools instead of adopting a resolution to modernize Druid Hills.

Former Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris raised concerns about the new direction because district staff didn’t have time to review it. A week later, the board voted to fire her.

What they’re saying: Susanna MacKenna, a junior at Druid Hills, said board members were endangering the community and “throwing money away” by not moving forward.

“By preventing the necessary repairs and modernization for Druid Hills, you put people I see every day at risk, and you hurt everyone around us,” she said.   

Ghila Sanders, a parent of a 10th grader at Druid Hills, said the district is going in circles about issues that should be straightforward. 

“We've done the studies. We know what's needed,” she said. “So, now, it's your turn to provide appropriate conditions for learning, for teaching and for thriving.” 

Frustrations mount with DeKalb school board members

The latest round of criticism was heard Monday when the board voted to approve its five-year Local Facilities Plan without including Druid Hills High School.

Illustration of an apple looking like an angry face emoji

Parents and community members continue to hold the DeKalb County Board of Education’s feet to the fire over how it’s responded to serious infrastructure issues at its oldest school.Driving the news: The latest round of criticism was heard Monday when the board voted to approve its five-year Local Facilities Plan without including Druid Hills High School.

An educator is using last month’s tragic death of millions of honeybees at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to teach students about how critical bees are to our food chain. 

What's the buzz? Meghan McCloskey, a teacher at Springdale Park Elementary School in Atlanta, was among several beekeepers who rescued thousands of bees trapped in hot containers on a tarmac.

Sadly, most of the bees died from heat exposure. McCloskey added fewer than 5,000 rescued bees to a hive at the school’s rooftop garden and another 10,000 to a hive at her home.

On Friday, McCloskey said the bees created a new queen cell that she expects to hatch in about two weeks.  

McCloskey with the bees she relocated from the airport. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios

What they’re saying: McCloskey began beekeeping with her daughter about five years ago.

“People realize this is something that's disappearing, and (that) we need to protect,” she said of the bees. “It’s more than just honey production, and it's more than just having some berries. I think people realize it is more about society in general and what it would do, if bees collapsed, to our whole food chain.”

Context: Scientists are monitoring the decline of honeybee populations, and some experts are sounding the alarm on what it could mean for food production if these pollinators are wiped out.

A closer look at the relocated bees. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios

McCloskey tells Axios that the students have been enthralled with the story about the bees and watching them transition to their new home. Some students have started gardens and beekeeping at home.

"For me, having the bees here is about setting up…how these kids will treat bees in the future,” she said.

Atlanta teacher turns bees' death into valuable lesson

McCloskey added less than 5,000 rescued bees to a hive at the school’s rooftop garden.

Teacher Meghan McCloskey opens the hive of bees she relocated. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios

An educator is using last month’s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tragic death" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/05/03/bees-die-tarmac-atlanta-airport" data-vars-content-id="fda5062b-0ffa-4a02-8894-8ea81180fd8f" data-vars-headline="Atlanta teacher turns bees&#x27; death into valuable lesson" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/05/03/bees-die-tarmac-atlanta-airport" target="_self">tragic death</a> of millions of honeybees at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to teach students about how critical bees are to our food chain. What&#x27;s the buzz? Meghan McCloskey, a teacher at Springdale Park Elementary School in Atlanta, was among several beekeepers who rescued thousands of bees trapped in hot containers on a tarmac.

Kristal Dixon

Featured stories

Atlanta prepares to relocate Forest Cove residents

Atlanta teacher turns bees' death into valuable lesson

Students at another DeKalb school highlight maintenance issues

Frustrations mount with DeKalb school board members

Some Midtown parents say "no" to school rezoning plan