Cobb Schools Consults With Alternate Accreditation Agency 3 Months After 'Special Review'

COBB COUNTY, GA — Three months after undergoing a special accreditation review by its accrediting body, Cognia, the Cobb County School District had consultants from another accrediting agency visit last week for an alternative accreditation, multiple news outlets reported.

Consultants with the Georgia Accrediting Commission visited the high schools last week, GAC's Executive Director Phillip Murphy told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The GAC accredits individual schools rather than whole districts or school systems.

School board member Leroy "Tré" Hutchins and Board Chair David Chastain both told the MDJ that they were aware GAC consultants visited district schools, and both said many districts use dual accreditation.

Last August, Cognia conducted a "special review" of the district after receiving roughly 50 complaints from the community and a letter of complaints from the school board's three Democratic members.

Cognia completed the review and released a 16-page report in November highlighting the areas of concern, and gave the district a year to make the recommended changes.

But it's been three months, and the school board hasn't discussed the report publicly, though it is available to the public on the district's website. Dr. Jaha Howard, a Democrat on the board, tried to add discussion of the report to the agenda on Thursday, but the board's four Republican members shot down the motion, the Marietta Daily Journal reported.

The GAC will present its findings of Cobb Schools' high schools to the board of directors, who will vote on accreditation status in April, WABE reported.

Some parents raised concerns at Thursday's board meeting, accusing the board of "intentionally ignoring" Cognia's instructions and instead trying to earn accreditation elsewhere, the AJC reported.

"I'm here to sound the alarm," Shannon Deisen, one of the parents, said during the meeting. "Stop ignoring the Cognia directives and start taking steps to comply with them immediately."

Cognia will require the board to partake in a progress review in December to ensure the district is making changes to improve, the AJC reported. The Georgia Accrediting Commission accredits more than 80 school districts in the state, Murphy told the AJC.

Related:

• Cobb Schools Maintains Accreditation, Given A Year To Make Change
• Cobb Schools To Undergo 'Unusual' Review By Accrediting Body
• Cobb Schools Special Accreditation Review Slated For August
• Cobb Schools Special Accreditation Review Begins Sunday