Fulton County Schools has been busy over the summer recruiting the most qualified teachers and staff, bringing the total workforce to 10,900 for the 2023-24 school year. Retirements and promotions also have led to the following changes in school and district leadership:
New & Promoted Personnel
School Principals:
District Leaders*:
*Director-level and above
Information Technology
New Support Program for Student/Staff Devices at Each School
School Technology Specialists (STS) will be assigned to schools every day for the 2023-24 school year. They will be responsible for all student and staff device support, such as troubleshooting, swapping devices as needed, repair, and login/access issues. The assigned STS will report directly to an IT Support Coordinator who will manage their work and frequently meet with school principals and administrative staff. Additional centralized technical support is available and managed by the IT Support Coordinator.
Safety and Security
The district continues to embrace the connection between students' physical and emotional safety to assure we are continually making efforts towards a highly positive and engaging learning environment. Maintaining safe schools is a top priority. This year we are implementing several updates to ensure the physical safety of our buildings. One such example is integrating our front door access with our lockdown processes in an automated way. When time is of the essence, our doors will automatically lock and secure in a lockdown event. The installation of window security film will provide another layer of protection to slow down or delay someone with bad intentions that is attempting to gain access to our facilities.
With the signing of the "Safe Schools Act," the state is taking systemic action to help all Georgia schools work towards a common goal of keeping students safe at school. While FCS has always gone above and beyond many best practices when thinking about school safety in the past, we will also follow the intent of the law as we implement the newest state requirements. Our current practices already meet or exceed this law, but we are also taking this opportunity to review all our practices and programs to ensure the greatest success for the benefit of our students and their safety. Read more about our safety plans and drills.
Academics
Implementation of Augmented Reality Technology in Middle School CTAE
As part of the district's Bridge to Success Plan, FCS Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education program (CTAE) has invested in zSpace technology to help our students further engage in career exploration and exposure. zSpace delivers an immersive and interactive learning platform for students without the use of goggles or 3D glasses. Read more about the CTAE program
K-5 LEAP Program
The K-5 LEAP (Learning, Engagement and Assistance Program) program is a new behavioral support program designed to support elementary students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade who are exhibiting challenging behaviors that disrupt their learning and ability to be successful in a traditional classroom setting. Students will be referred by their home school teacher and principal after interventions and supports have been provided when data collected on these supports shows a need for more intensive support that cannot be provided in the home school and after meeting with parents/guardians. There are two locations for the K-5 LEAP program: one at College Park Elementary School in College Park and one at Vickery Mill Elementary School in Roswell with most students receiving support for 90 to 120 days before returning to their home school. Read more about the K-5 LEAP program.
School Nutrition
Children Need Healthy Meals to Learn
The School Nutrition Program will have all 97 commercial kitchens operating on the first day of school so students can receive breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Approximately 71,000 meals will be served every day this school year. FCS offers healthy meals daily at a reasonable price. At elementary schools, the price for breakfast is $1.10 and lunch is $2.45. For middle and high schools, the price for breakfast is $1.25 and lunch is $2.70. Students may qualify for free meals or for reduced-price meals. For families that qualify for reduced meals during SY23-24, households will not be required to pay the reduced price of $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch due to Georgia Department of Education funding used to cover these costs.
Households are encouraged to prepay for student meals and extra sales using MyPaymentsPlus. Visit www.mypaymentsplus.com to sign up and get started. Cash or check payments can also be made at your student’s school in the cafeteria.
The Free & Reduced Meal Benefits Program is a part of the National Child Nutrition Program and is available to qualifying households. A NEW application must be completed for the 2023-24 school year. Applications are available online at www.fulton.schoollunchapp.com and in paper from any school cafeteria.
Bus Transportation
Bus Fleet Ready to Roll
The Transportation Department is prepared to have 689 route buses rolling to serve the students of Fulton County on the first day of school.
New Propane-Powered Buses with Seat Belts
Of the entire fleet, 521 buses are propane-powered with 3-point seat belts. Transportation will also add 25 propane-powered Special Needs buses this school year. This is part of the district's commitment to replace aging diesel vehicles with buses that are safer for students, more cost-effective to operate, and friendlier to the environment.
