City Springs to host Bavarian food fest in honor of October ► PAGE 5
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Spalding Drive Elementary faces board vote on closure SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Spalding Drive Elementary may be shuttering next year, after Fulton County Schools staff recommended its closure due to an aging building and declining enrollment. The presentation at a Sept. 10 Board of Education work session also recommended that board members consider the closure of Parklane Elementary School in East Point. Because its enrollment is projected to continually decline past the 450-student threshold the school district identifies as “operationally inefficient,” it is considering consolidating East Point and Sandy Springs elementary schoolers. This year, Spalding Drive Elementary School has 349 students and is predicted to have seven fewer next year. The district says the 1960s school building needs extensive repairs based on a condition assessment. Neighboring elementary schools, like Ison Springs, Woodland and Lake Forest, have capacity to accommodate Spalding Drive’s student population, according to the staff presentation.
See SPALDING, Page 13
PHOTO GRAPHIC BY JACOB TOMBERLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Statewide organizations join fray in Appen vs. Sandy Springs suit By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
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A graph shows declining student populations in each region within Fulton County Schools. The Board of Education will vote in February whether to shutter Spalding Drive Elementary, which school officials have called “operationally inefficient.”
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Appen Media’s open records lawsuit with Sandy Springs, now in the appeals process, has drawn a new set of players. Two statewide organizations have submitted amicus briefs in the case, each supporting different sides of the debate over interpretations of the Georgia Open Records Act. The Georgia First Amendment Foundation has thrown its weight behind Appen Media, arguing
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that an unfavorable ruling could have statewide implications leaving the public in the dark about crime in their communities. In an opposing move, the Georgia Municipal Association has filed an amicus brief siding with the City of Sandy Springs. The GMA, which advocates for and provides services for some 536 Georgia cities, argues that local agencies should have authority to interpret ambiguous language, like “initial” in the law requiring release of initial police reports.
See SUIT, Page 13