Monthly Archives: July 2017

DeKalb Schools Extends School 1 Hour For Solar Eclipse

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) will extend its school day by one hour on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, to provide safe viewing and instructional opportunities related to the expected solar eclipse that day.

Dismissal will occur one hour later than usual, at the end of the extended learning period. Our three-tier dismissal system starts with elementary schools, followed by high schools, and finally middle schools. Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s school to determine the exact dismissal time on Monday, Aug. 21.
According to NASA, the solar eclipse will occur across North America that day when the moon obscures 97.4 percent of the sun. The solar eclipse will be viewable around 1:02 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. DCSD reminds its community that it is not safe to stare directly into the sun without special glasses, and it is providing lessons that will allow students to safely take advantage of the moment.
Those lessons may include the distribution of special viewing glasses, and opportunities to view the eclipse using monitors and safe viewing options. Many teachers will also include information on the eclipse in their lessons that day, as appropriate.
Note: It’s a bad idea to look directly at the sun during an eclipse.


Other schools delaying dismissal:
COBB COUNTY – 45-minute delay
FORSYTH COUNTY – 40-minute delay (ES I: 3:00 p.m., ES II: 3:40 p.m., High: 4:20 p.m., Middle: 4:55 p.m.)
GWINNETT COUNTY – One-hour delay
HENRY COUNTY – One-hour delay (Elementary: 3:25 p.m., High: 4:15 p.m., Middle: 4:55 p.m.)
MARIETTA CITY SCHOOLS – 15-minute delay
PAULDING COUNTY – One-hour delay (Elementary: 3:30 p.m., High: 4:25 p.m., Middle: 4:35 p.m.)
ROCKDALE COUNTY – Elementary: 3:00 p.m., High: 3:45 p.m., Middle: 4:30 p.m.


Cobb County School District – Eclipse 2017 Parent Information
The 2017 Eclipse Across America will happen on Monday, August 21st and Cobb Schools are ready! Cobb teachers and students will have the opportunity to experience an extremely rare and awe inspiring event – a total solar eclipse. Cobb will be using this “teachable moment” to increase the science literacy of our students. We will be utilizing a variety of resources curated by NASA, the Tellus Science Museum and Cobb educators to provide an unforgettable learning experience for our students K-12.

Information For Parents

Cobb is in the path of the eclipse. We will experience a 98% total solar eclipse. The eclipse will begin after lunch and last about 2 hours. The skies will gradually begin to darken as the moon moves into the path of the sun. Over time the sky it will become increasingly dark. Here in Cobb, the near total eclipse will happen between 2:35 and 2:40. It will last just over 2 minutes. Then the skies will gradually become filled with more light, as the moon moves out of the path of the sun.
Each Cobb school will provide students opportunities to participate in the eclipse phenomena. Participation will vary from going outdoors to view the eclipse with official eclipse glasses or student engineered solar eclipse viewers (pinhole cameras) to watching the live NASA eclipse broadcast. Teachers across the district have been working hard to align the learning experiences on the 21st to concepts taught in each grade or course. For example, students in grade four will be learning about the motion of the moon and Earth and how it relates to the Sun. While students in Kindergarten will be communicating observations about the sun and moon in the sky. And students in grade eight will be exploring light waves and lenses.
Schools interested in having students go outdoors to view the eclipse will be sending home forms requesting parent permission. To learn more about the 2017 Eclipse Across America please visit http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov.

Meet DeKalb Schools' New Assistant Principals

DeKalb Schools has 30 new Assistant Principals. Who is the new Assistant Principal at your school?


Related Posts
Under-Performing Principals Reassigned
May 12, 2017 – Can we systematically weed out our lowest performing principals?
Meet DeKalb Schools’ New Principals
July 24, 2017 – DeKalb Schools has 17 new principals. Who is your new principal?


DeKalb Schools’ New Assistant Principals

School Assistant Principal Reassigned Principal
Dunwoody High Karen Williams Yes – Shadow Rock ES Current Employee
Chamblee High Clifton Spears Outside Hire
Kingsley Tyra Harris-Thompson Current Employee
Tucker Middle School Emanuel Lewis Current Employee
Lakeside High Jennifer Mason Outside Hire
Druid Hills Middle Sheveeta Bonner Current Employee
DeKalb Alternative School Marcus Barber Outside Hire
Chapel Hill Middle Charles Barker Outside Hire
Flat Rock Audria Berry Current Employee
Woodridge Jamika Brown Outside Hire
Kelley Lake Letoya Carmichael Current Employee
Warren Technical Timothy Collier Current Employee
DECA Michael Costa Current Employee
Towers Portia Denson Outside Hire
Montclair LaSonya Edwards Current Employee
Miller Grove Middle Joe Floyd Current Employee
Redan Middle Lamita Grissett Current Employee
Carey Reynolds Amy Heutel Current Employee
Wynbrooke Deirdre Hill Current Employee
Southwest DeKalb Gayle McNair Current Employee
Redan Elementary Audra Olukoya Outside Hire
Narvie J. Harris Elementary Tiffany Reeves Outside Hire
Towers Rodericus Rogers Current Employee
DESA Dana Wemann Outside Hire
Stone Mountain Middle Ledra Jemison Yes – Stoneview ES Current Employee
Stephen Middle Ethan Suber Current Employee
Dekalb alternative Rodney Mallory Current Employee
Stone Mountain Middle Ledra Jemison Current Employee
Stephen Middle Ethan Suber Yes – Panola Way ES Current Employee
Dekalb alternative Rodney Mallory Yes – DeKalb Alternative School Current Employee

Update on the employment status of the nine (9) under performing and reassigned principals
Zack Phillips – Early Childhood Coordinator
Ledra Jemison – Assistant Principal at Stone Mountain MS
Karen Williams – Assistant Principal at Dunwoody HS
Ethan Suber – Assistant Principal at Stephen MS
Rodney Mallory – Assistant Principal at DeKalb Alternative
Michael Williamson – Instructional Technology Manager
Terry Segovis – Retired
Sylvia Pilson – Retired
Dominique Drew-Terrell – Teacher Contract


Dr. Joyce Morley, Board of Education Representative, made a number of inquires into the principal replacements. Interim Chief Human Capital Management Officer, Everett Patrick, replies.
Morley: In reference to Mrs. Laura Baez, new principal of Montclair ES: Is it not protocol that an applicant informs the District of his or her relationship to an employee within the District during the application process? Is this question included on the application for employment?
Patrick: Yes, the PATS application does ask if the applicant has any relatives employed by the DeKalb County School District. Ms. Baez answered “yes” to the question and provided the name of her mother (Sandra Nunez, Director of ELL).
Morley: How many of the selected principals and selected assistant principals emanated from the ranks of current DeKalb County School District employees?
Patrick: 11 of the newly hired principals were promoted from within DCSD.
7 of the newly hired principals were promoted from outside of DCSD ( 2 of the 7 were former DCSD employees before leaving for another District)
22 of the newly hired assistant principals were promoted from within DCSD
9 of the newly hired assistant principals were promoted from outside of DCSD
Morley: How many are from the Metropolitan Atlanta area and how many are from out of state?
Patrick: None of the new principals are from out of state.
Morley: Do we pay relocation expenses for principals selected from out of state?
Patrick: No.
Morley: Are there signing bonuses for principals we hire from out of state or from other districts?
Patrick: No.
Morley: Do we pay relocation expenses for directors, executive directors, and others above these positions?
Patrick: No.
Morley: Aside from using signing bonuses to attract the best and brightest teachers, how do you decide who receives a signing bonus?
Patrick: DCSD did not utilize signing bonuses during this last recruitment season.