Our Questions for the DCSD Policy Committee

Get the Cell Out - Atlanta attended the Policies Committee meeting for DCSD on Oct. 3, 2012.   Present committee members included:  Dr. Cheryl Atkinson, Dr. Pam Speaks, Don McChesney, Donna Edler, Sarah Copelin-Woods.

(click headline for more details.)

We were given a brief amount of time at the conclusion of the meeting to speak to the panel.  Unfortunately, Dr. Atkinson had to leave for another appointment before hearing our concerns, but she left word with one of her staff members to take notes so that she could get back to us.

We will update you if we do receive a response to our requests for information.  Here is a brief summary of our statement:

Introduction: Get the Cell Out - Atlanta represents several hundred taxpayers throughout DeKalb County, in every school district.  We have coordinated petitions on the issue of cell towers that reach into the thousands and we have followed this issue on behalf of the best interest of all children in DeKalb County.  Our schools should not be used to bring harm or benefit to one area of the county over another based on political affiliations of the people who live there.

Questions:
1.  What is the educational plan that you are following that backs up the necessity to spend our SPLOST technology dollars on wireless devices?  If the computers are only needed to take a one-time test, they do not need to be wireless or permanent purchases (vs. one day rental or use of public libraries).  Please explain.

2.  It appears that the cell phone towers are going up, regardless of the fact that their contracts have expired as of July 12, 2012.  We have asked on three occasions with Open Records Requests to see the contract for Lakeside High School's tower.  We also asked to see the construction time lines for the towers at all 8 or 9 schools, if these towers are going to be built.  We have been told that you do not have that information, yet it is referenced in the 8 of 9 contracts we have received.  (The 9th contact being the one for Lakeside that we have not received.)

This will be the fourth and final time we make this Open Records Request for Information before proceeding to alert the Attorney General's office under the Open Government Division as this is a violation of the law regarding the public's right to fair access to public documents.

Please provide to sayno2celltowers@yahoo.com, under the Open Records Laws in the state of Georgia, within three business days.

3.  Is there a policy that states that public tax dollars may be spent to further the political agenda of one party over another?

4.  What is the purpose of a "non-partisan" Board of Education?  If it is the purpose to remain non-partisan only so that the public is not aware of your political agendas, then we request that your political parties be made public immediately and also prior to any future elections.  We also request to know the membership status of the board in any political activism groups.

5.  It appears that the Education Task Force of ALEC has already determined an educational plan as outlined by their Education Tax Force and documented on www.alecexposed.org.  If you are using our tax dollars toward the corporate agenda of ALEC, we are curious about how this board can claim to be "non-partisan."

If you are choosing to put forth the ALEC plan, then we ask that you please put it in writing and vote on it, rather than asking the board to approve individual pieces of it as not all members of the board may be aware of the ALEC plan and therefore may not have the same access to information as others on the board who may also be a part of the membership organization.

6.  Please update the board and the public about the status of the SPLOST Oversight Committee that we were promised would be in place prior to any SPLOST IV dollars being spent.

Sincerely,

Get the Cell Out - Atlanta