Community members urge Atlanta Board to halt school closures and demand accountability for charters and special education

Scores of community members used the board’s public-comment hour to press the Atlanta Board of Education to stop planned neighborhood school closures, call for greater oversight of charter operators and demand stronger protections for students with disabilities.

Ernest Perry, a neighborhood resident and former PTA and school-council leader, asked the board to “reconsider the proposed closure of Continental Conley Elementary School,” calling the school “the heartbeat of our community” and noting new housing that will add families to the neighborhood.

Kimberly Brooks told the board that the district’s enrollment figures are misleading if charter students and other categories are excluded and warned that “most of the schools that you're closing are in African American communities.” She urged the board to ensure “every single child in Atlanta must be accounted for before you close 1 school.”

A Maynard Jackson student, Treasure Love, accused charter operator KIPP of a cheating scandal and criticized charter governance and test performance; the complaint was presented as an allegation and was not adjudicated during the meeting.

Kimberly Duke, executive director of Atlanta Thrive, and several parents raised concerns about special-education students being removed or redirected to programs referenced in comment as “Hank Aaron” and said parents are not seeing consistent application of due process protections, citing MDR and tribunal procedures. "We're not holding the staff accountable for our kids," Duke told the board.

Faith leaders and neighborhood advocates asked for structured collaboration with the district. Reverend Donovan Pinner of Ebenezer Baptist Church proposed creating an APS-and-education-advocates advisory partnership to support ongoing, in-person dialogue and shared decision-making for neighborhood schools such as Dunbar.

The board’s public-comment period also included calls to better market successful neighborhood schools like Beecher Hills Elementary and praise for students who placed in district and state competitions.

What the record shows and what it does not: Comments included allegations about charter governance and assertions that enrollment counts are incomplete; the meeting transcript records those claims but does not contain a district response or an investigatory finding. Several speakers requested specific actions — for example, that the board pause closures until all students are counted or form a community advisory partnership — but no formal board direction on those requests was recorded during the meeting.

Next steps: The board did not vote on closure decisions during this meeting. Community members were encouraged to submit written comments to the board office; the board’s subsequent agenda and staff follow-up will determine whether policy changes, audits, or formal reviews of charter or special-education practices follow.