Author: On Common Ground News

Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) congratulates the Valedictorians and Salutatorians of the Class of 2021. The Valedictorians and Salutatorians were notified in a surprise announcement on the morning of Friday, March 26, 2021 by a caravan of administrators, counselors, teachers, and School Resource Officers (SROs) driving to each student’s home to present a yard sign to celebrate these top scholars who achieved despite the challenges this pandemic year. They will lead their respective senior classes in their school’s graduation ceremony, which is scheduled to be held in-person this year. The Salem High School (SHS) graduation ceremony is scheduled…

DeKalb County has been the victim of an international cyberattack. As a result of the ongoing attack, on March 24, the Department of Innovation and Technology became aware of an attempted data breach that impacted the Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition program. Emails or applications previously sent to renthelp@dekalbcountyga.gov were included on the server that was attacked. The county currently is unaware of any actual compromise or misuse of customers’ information. A criminal investigation is underway. Within five minutes of the identification of the cyberattack, the county disabled the email account and disconnected the targeted server. The county is…

The State Board of Education recently approved Gov. Brian Kemp’s and State School Superintendent Richard Woods’ recommendation that Georgia use federal stimulus funds to provide a one-time, $1,000 bonus payment to every K-12 public school teacher and other school-based support personnel. A separate bonus for Pre-K educators is being provided by the Department of Early Care and Learning. Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) announced today, April 1, that it plans to provide the bonus to teachers and as well as a one-time bonus to all full-time and part-time staff who did not qualify under the state requirements. RCPS will use…

Due to continued staffing shortages, the DeKalb County Board of Health’s Office of Vital Records at the Richardson Health Center in Decatur, and the North DeKalb Health Center in Chamblee, will close to the public April 1-9. Due to the Good Friday holiday(April 2), the office, along with all health centers, was already scheduled to be closed. A staff member is available for funeral home requests. Birth and death certificates requests can be made and paid for online. In-person requests can be processed by visiting a vital records office location in a neighboring county. The Office of Vital Records is scheduled to…

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) has finalized its testing schedule for employees, students and families. Testing will be available on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Bethune Middle School and Cross Keys High School. Testing will be available on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Doraville United Elementary School. Other locations are being considered for a future date, the district said. “We look forward to the continued partnership with Top Dog Solutions, Inc. to provide testing,” said DCSD Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris. “Testing options provide a service for our school community. We are committed to continuing to…

The Chamblee Police Department (CPD) is investigating a homicide where officers responded to the area of 3160 Chamblee Dunwoody Road in reference to a person stabbed, authorities said in a statement released today (April 1) at 11:09 a.m. A Hispanic male was found in the parking garage with one stab wound. A witness reported seeing the victim fighting with two Hispanic males earlier in the day. The two suspects left the scene and later returned to fight the victim again. The time of the incident is unknown. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. CPD officers presently…

STONE MOUNTAIN — The Rockbridge Coalition will host a virtual town hall meeting on April 6, 6 p.m.    “The community is invited to learn how we can engage with our neighborhood schools to assist in ensuring our children receive the best education. The health of our schools determine the health and prosperity of our community,” said Lance Hammonds, who chairs the coalition. The guest speakers will be Marcia Coward, Family Engagement Manager, DeKalb County School District; Gerald Austin, DTL, Former Deer Creek HOA President;  Ella Davis, Executive Director SDIA-E; and Sean Tartt, Region 3 Superintendent of the…

At approx. 4:15 a.m. this morning (March 31), the DeKalb County PD responded to a person shot call near Pine Mountain Rd. Upon arrival, officers located a vehicle potentially involved near Covington Hwy.  The (adult) male driver fled the area and moments later, crashed the vehicle before fleeing on foot.  After a brief foot pursuit, the male pointed a weapon at officers causing the officers to discharge their firearms fatally wounding him on the scene.  No officers were injured.  During the preliminary investigation, officers discovered a person inside the abandoned vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. They were transferred to a…

The DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections meeting for the purpose of conducting its normal monthly business will be held on Thursday, April 8, at 4:30 p.m. This meeting will be conducted via teleconference (Zoom). Simultaneous public access to the meeting will be available via livestream on DCTV’s UStream channel https://video.ibm.com/channel/dctv-channel-23. To make a comment, join via Zoom at https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/j/97184078303  or by phone at 1-888-270-9936 and use conference code 171493. Public comments of two minutes or less may be made live via the teleconference. For those joining the meeting by telephone, please be aware that phone numbers may be displayed…

The Georgia House of Representatives has approved SB 21, restricting powers of the mayor and providing more power and authority to the five members of the city council.  The legislation, sponsored by State Sen. Emanuel Jones, is now headed to the Governor for his signature. The new legislation will it becomes effective on July 1. The House passed the bill 155-5 on March 29. There were 14 “not voting” and 6 excused. The Senate passed the bill 49-0 on March 15. There were 2 “not voting” and 5 excused. Having cleared both the House and the Senate, the…