A newly introduced bill would change the criteria that accrediting agencies can use to review Georgia public schools and systems.

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Tippins would require state-approved accrediting agencies to only assess districts based on student academic achievement and financial management – not school board behavior.

Why it matters: Two nonprofit organizations – Cognia and the Georgia Accrediting Commission – are the state-recognized accrediting agencies for public schools.

Catch up quick: School board governance and behavior were the underlying themes of a special review Cognia conducted last year of the Cobb County School District.

• ​​Cognia found Cobb board members were not consistently following their ethics policies and they made inconsistent financial resource allocations. Cobb, which remains accredited, has until December to make the recommended changes.

What’s next: Instead of publicly discussing Cognia’s review and whether any recommended change will be made, Cobb’s district leaders are courting the Georgia Accrediting Commission.

• GAC only accredits individual schools. Phil Murphy, executive director of GAC, tells Axios that their consultants will make a recommendation on Cobb’s request and the Board of Directors will vote on it in April.
• Murphy says the only downside to GAC accreditation is that it’s not automatically recognized by colleges and universities outside Georgia. That’s why most GAC members have high schools that are accredited by two organizations.

Read the full story.

Atlanta United’s first game of the 2022 season will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Feb. 27 against Sporting Kansas City, to be exact.

• When the team hits the road they’ll be showing off a new look.

Driving the news: Tomorrow, the team unveils its new away kit to a sold-out crowd of season ticket holders at Piedmont Park.

Details: Billed as a party, the event at the Promenade will include appearances by President Darren Eales and select players — no word on who, specifically — plus food, music and entertainment.

• The event starts at 4 pm, and kits will be available for purchase.
• If you missed out on tickets, check out the team’s livestream on the team’s website, YouTube and Facebook pages.

The intrigue: Footy Headlines reported this month that the new color scheme would take a hard turn from the red, black and gold and embrace mint and dark green.

In the weeds: Atlanta United alternates between updating its home and away kits every year. Next year we'll get a look at a new home kit.

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A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is trying to permanently protect an area near the Okefenokee Swamp from mining.

• This comes as an Alabama company, Twin Pines, has applied for state permits to do just that.

What’s happening: A bill would prevent state regulators from issuing new mining permits for a nearby part of Trail Ridge, an ancient coastline in the southeast that is home to valuable minerals.

Why it matters: Some environmental experts have warned that mining the ridge too close to the Okefenokee Swamp could harm the National Wildlife Refuge’s water levels and quality.

State of play: While the bill would only apply to permit applications submitted after July 2022, thereby grandfathering in Twin Pines’ application, it would prevent expansion and other projects.

What they’re saying: Megan Desrosiers, president of the coastal environmental group One Hundred Miles, said this would amount to the biggest legislative protection of a Georgia natural resource since the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act of 1970.

• President of Twin Pines Steve Ingle told WABE News the company is “proceeding with our plans and will abide by the environmental regulations that are actually on the books and applicable to our project as we have done from Day 1.”

Read the full swampy story.

More than 20 communities in Atlanta and unincorporated DeKalb County will see new playgrounds, trails and landscaping in their neighborhood parks thanks to Park Pride.

Driving the news: The nonprofit advocacy group pooled funding and a $700,000 bump from the city to award grants ranging from $250 to $100,000 or more for improvement projects.

Fixes include:

• West End Park: Building a hillside amphitheater near the playground and basketball court.
• Grant Park: Installing a cobblestone plaza and native plantings — including daffodils to honor children lost in the Holocaust, the Grant Park Conservancy says — around the Erskine Fountain.
• Lindsay Street Park: Building a new bridge to connect two sections of the English Avenue park.
• Chastain Memorial Park: Adding interpretive signs, native plants and a new pavilion to improve trails in the North Woods section.

Going up: This year’s round of grants was the largest in Park Pride’s history — and a $1 million increase over the 2021 awards.

• 60% of the funds will benefit parks in communities with a large number of residents living on low incomes, the nonprofit says.

Of note: In addition to the grants, Mayor Andre Dickens announced he is creating a “green” cabinet to advise him on parks and green spaces.

• A proposed bill would give district attorneys more power to prosecute gangs (WSB-TV)
• Georgia’s oyster farms are going through growing pains. (GPB)
• David Perdue is getting fundraising help from former President Trump. (AJC)
• Nuclear power Plant Vogtle's expansion will, once again, cost more and take longer than expected. (WRDW)
• Advocates object to some of state lawmakers’ mental health overhaul plans. (Georgia Recorder)
• Jerry Cullum reviews Jackson Fine Art’s exhibit of William Eggleston photography. (Arts ATL)