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County resets hearing for updated ordinance on animal control laws By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Feedback from residents has prompted the Forsyth County Commission to set new meeting dates for proposed changes to the animal control ordinance. The Board of Commissioners held its second of three public hearings on the draft code changes Sept. 21. Commissioners took no formal action on the item but moved the previously scheduled third public hearing to Nov. 2 to allow more time for residents to weigh in. County Attorney Ken Jarrard said the Sept. 21 hearing covers suggestions from University of Georgia School of Law Professor Lisa Milot, an animal welfare expert who spoke when the amendments were first presented in August. Jarrard said the most recent batch of changes emphasize the benefits of rigorous sterilization from a public policy standpoint in Forsyth County. “But I just want to emphasize to the board and to those in attendance that,
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School patrons issue plea to keep attendance zones ► PAGE 3
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Norma Castillo Malone stands with her fellow Forsyth County Schools staff at a Sept. 20 ceremony honoring her as recipient of the 2023 Leadership in Education Award.
Schools honor Hispanic heritage By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com CUMMING, Ga. — The Forsyth County Board of Education celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month – recognized from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 – with an award ceremony for the community Sept. 20. The School Board’s decision to partner with the OneForsyth initiative for this year’s award ceremony recognizes “an important part of the school
district family and the Forsyth County community,” according to the official proclamation. This is OneForsyth’s second year hosting an event for Hispanic Heritage month. Nearly 14 percent of the nearly 55,000 students in Forsyth County Schools are of Hispanic heritage. The student poetry readings were the highlight of the event. Scarleth Robles introduced two of her peers, Samuel Nieves and Trixie
Rodriguez who read poems in Spanish that they selected in their advanced native-speakers class at Forsyth Central High School. “Once we memorized our poems, we had to present them to the class from the bottom of our hearts,” Nieves said. Nieves also thanked his advanced Spanish teacher, Vincent Cardoso, for his decades-long commitment to educating native Spanish speakers.
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