By the summer’s end, Fulton County Schools will have welcomed more than 700 new teachers for 2022-2023. This will bring the district’s total teaching force to approximately 7,000. Retirements and promotions also have led to changes in school leadership:
New & Promoted Personnel
New School Principals:
Terrell Awak, Creekside High School
Arnisha Canty, Cliftondale Elementary School
Miranda Freeman, Sandtown Middle School
LaToya Miley, Roswell High School
Martin Neuhaus, Northview High School
Uche Ngoddy, Oakley Elementary School
Ayo Richardson, Mountain Park Elementary School
Heather Rucker, Northwood Elementary School
New District Leaders*:
Ritu Ahuja, Director, Principal Leadership
Brian Downey, Zone 6 Superintendent
Gonzalo LaCava, FCS Chief Talent Officer
*Director level and above.
Academics
New 3DE Magnet program. Roswell High School becomes the fourth FCS high school to offer the 3DE program. The program will start with more than 130 ninth grade students.
High Dosage Small Group Tutoring. High Dosage Small Group (HDSG) tutoring is a school-based intervention with significant positive effects on math and reading achievement. In the second year of implementation, FCS will continue to offer HDSG at every K-12 school and provide a HDSG paraprofessional for every elementary school in FCS.
Code of Conduct: Fulton County Schools revised the Student Code of Conduct to include new behaviors considered unacceptable as well as upgraded consequence ranges. Families should review the 2022-2023 Code of Conduct: What You Should Know.
In-School Academies: All high schools in Zones 1, 2, and 3 will offer at-risk students an intensive targeted program of credit recovery, full course completions, and/or targeted interventions with the goal of decreasing dropouts and increasing graduations. The approach will allow students to work at their own pace in an extremely supportive environment within their own school. In-School Academies will allow students to graduate from their high school once enough credits are earned.
Student and Family Engagement Center (S.A.F.E. Center): North Springs High School and Tri-Cities High School will be the district’s two newest locations for S.A.F.E. Centers. These are evidenced-based “one stop shops” for school services and community partnerships which mitigate academic, social, or emotional barriers impacting a student’s achievement. The SAFE Center concept was initially launched at Banneker High School. With guidance from partners such as the GADOE and Metro RESA, an updated concept will be launched at all three schools in Fall 2022.
New Grading and Reporting Policy Changes
The following list includes some of the major changes for the new Grading and Reporting Policy that will go into effect this school year:
- Established 14 Grading Commitments
- Standardized Grading Categories and Weights
- Revised K-2 Grading Scale
- Added Minimum Number of Assignments/Assessments/Tasks
- Included Allowable Deductions for Late Work/Missing Work
- Standardized Recovery
- Created Robust Communication Expectations
- Included Non-Academic Skill Feedback
- Updated Transfer Grades section
- Included information on specialized group reporting
School Nutrition
Parents can put money on their student’s account for meals and/or extra sales, view account balances and purchase history, and set up low-balance reminders by visiting www.mypaymentsplus.com. Cash or check payments can also be made at your student’s school.
The Free & Reduced Meal Benefits Program is a part of the National Child Nutrition Program. This program makes Free or Reduced Priced meals available to qualifying households.Qualifications are based on the gross income of all household members and the number of persons living in the house. A NEW application must be completed for the 2022-2023 school year. Due to COVID-19 National Waivers, families did not have to complete an application during the last school year; however, these waivers are no longer in effect and all families must complete an application for the 2022-2023 school year if they wish to be considered for free and reduced meal benefits this year. The household is responsible for payment of meals until the Free and Reduced Application is approved. Applications are available online at www.fulton.schoollunchapp.com and are also available in paper format from any school cafeteria. If able, families are encouraged to complete the online application to help expedite the application approval process.
Bus Transportation
Bus Fleet Ready to Roll. The Transportation department is prepared to have 668 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. 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.
Information Technology
Student Devices. An electronic device user agreement appears on the login screen of all student devices. Logging in to the district device is acceptance of the agreement. In addition to the electronic agreement, a hard copy of the device user agreement will be provided to every 3rd-5th grade student checking out a device. Students are expected to bring their device to school each day, charged and ready for use. The district promotes good digital citizenship from all students and encourages them to take great care of this valuable learning tool.
"It's All About the Swap." To ensure consistent access to technology and digital resources for students, the Information Technology Support Department is launching the 2022-2023 “It’s All About the Swap” campaign. The goal of the campaign is to make sure technology is accessible for our students at the point of need. If a student has an issue with their device and the issue can’t be easily resolved, the device will be swapped for another working device – “no trouble”. This effort will ensure students continue learning without technical challenges. The local Device Coordinator at each school will manage swapping student devices. Devices swapped will be inspected by the assigned School Technology Specialist team, repaired, and returned to working inventory for future swaps and needs.
