Accreditation revoked at Clayton County schools

My daughter attends a high school in the Clayton County school district and, unfortunately, the National Accreditation Commission board unanimously voted to revoke the county's accreditation on September 1. The only chance the district has to hold on to the accreditation is to meet nine requirements by September.

This is a concern to a lot of parents and students, but it is of particular concern to parents -- like me -- who have students entering the 12th grade this coming school year. For older students, like my daughter, losing the accreditation would mean no HOPE scholarships and difficulty getting into certain colleges. And this also affects me for my younger children -- especially the second one who is supposed to enroll in pre-kindergarten this year -- because there would be no pre-k funding. And to top it all off, as a Clayton homeowner I would be faced with lower property values.

So as my daughter takes the Georgia High School Graduation test, prepares for the SAT, applies for scholarships and researches and decides on colleges she'd like to attend, we'll be faced with mapping out an alternative plan for her senior year. If the accreditation is revoked there is a chance that she could attend a private school since the Senate recently passed a bill that "allows students in chronically failing schools to transfer to public or private schools," according to an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. It's possible we would be able to receive a voucher for $4,100 if we choose a private school.

With everything going on this just seems like another thing on my to-do list, but as any mother would do I'll take care of whatever I have to in order to help my daughter realize her dreams.