Sumter schools on accreditation probation - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Sumter schools on accreditation probation

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AMERICUS, GA (WALB) -

Sumter County schools are in danger of losing their accreditation.

Following an investigation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, that accrediting agency put the system on probation.

The Superintendent says it is more of a problem in the district office than in the classroom.

The eleven pages are the report Sumter County school officials got telling them they are on accreditation probation. It started with community complaints.

"There had been complaints from stake holders," said Interim Superintendent Donnie Smith. "We don't have any specifics on that about some of the happenings in the district. So, they sent a review team to talk to the people down here in Sumter County."

They found through their investigation a consistent division among board members. The lack of cooperation is one of the reasons for the probation.

"It is probationary status until December 31st, 2012," Smith said. "We will have another review team before that time to see the progress that we have made on the required actions that they are requiring us to take a look at."

Smith says that it is very important that parents understand that the majority of problems found were at the district office level. 

"We work very diligently every day here in Sumter County to provide a quality education," Smith said. "This has probably very little to do with what is going on in the schools. But, maybe here at the district level."

There are some required actions the board must take. Most pertain to the organization and cooperation among the board. Smith says they are viewing the investigation as an improvement opportunity.

"My hope is that we will continue to cooperatively work together and communicate and work as a team again to provide the best education that we possibly can for our students here in Sumter County," Smith said.

He says the Board will begin to discuss specific plans for improvement at their next meeting.

If a school loses accreditation, it can make it harder for students to transfer credits to different schools. It can also make it harder for students to get federal loans and scholarships or even gain admission to certain colleges. 

Click here to see the full report. 

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