Back to the Books

By Collin Kelley

Time to put away the bathing suits and hit the books again. Intown’s public schools will resume classes this month for the 2019-2020 academic year. Here are some key dates for those who have kids heading back to school.

Atlanta Public Schools

The new school year kicks off Monday, Aug. 12. For those already thinking about vacations, the Thanksgiving break will be Nov. 25-29; semester break is Dec. 23 and through Jan. 3, 2020; spring break is April 6-10; and the last day of school will be May 22. APS will hold its annual “Back to School Bash” on Aug. 10 at the World Congress Center where there will be information, activities, health screenings, resources, exhibitors and 5,000 backpacks will be given away to students. For more information, visit atlantapublicschools.us.

City Schools of Decatur

Decatur’s public schools will resume classes early – Thursday, Aug. 1. Fall break will be Sept. 23-27; Thanksgiving break is Nov. 25-29; holiday break is Dec. 23 to Jan. 6; winter break is Feb. 17-21; spring break is April 6-10; and the last day of school is June 2. For more information, visit csdecatur.net.

Fulton County Schools

The 2018-19 school year begins Monday, Aug. 12, for thousands of children in Fulton County. The Thanksgiving holiday is Nov. 25-29; winter break is Dec. 23 to

Harvin Greene

M 404.314.4212 O 404.352.2010 harvingreene@dorseyalston.com

Stephanie Marinac

M 404.863.4213 O 404.352.2010 stephaniemarinac@dorseyalston.com

Jan. 3; spring break is April 6-10; and last day of class is May 22. The school system will host “First Day Fulton” back to school celebrations on Aug. 3 at Banneker High School and North Springs High School with free school supplies, activities, health screenings and entertainment. For more information, visit fultonschools.org.

DeKalb County Schools

DeKalb public schools are also back in session on Monday, Aug. 5. Thanksgiving break is Nov. 25-29; winter break is Dec. 23-Jan. 3; spring break is April 6-10; and the last day of class is May 21. For more information, visit DeKalbSchoolsGA.org.

By Collin Kelley

A second deadly collision involving an electric scooter rider in Atlanta has prompted calls for streets that accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists and scooter users.

According to police reports, William Alexander, 37, was struck and killed by a Cobb County transit bus on West Peachtree Street in Midtown on the night of July 17. At press time, Atlanta Police investigators believe the bus was turning onto 15th Street when it struck Alexander, who was riding a scooter on his way home from an Atlanta United match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

After the incident, Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi said Alexander’s death should be a call to action for the city.

“We need to invest more in complete streets that accommodate cyclists, scooters, and pedestrians as much as they do cars. It’s in our power to ensure these sorts of tragedies are absent from our city,” Farokhi said. “While I am working aggressively with the City’s Office of Mobility to solve the problems created for pedestrians by e-scooters, the vast majority of which occur in District 2, we must solve the bigger problem of streets and sidewalks that are not safe enough for all modes of mobility.”

The city council recently passed legislation to wrangle the more than 10,000 e-scooters and bikes on Atlanta’s streets and to compile scooter injury data from local hospitals.

Councilmember Andre Dickens indicated in a statement that he has asked Atlanta’s Chief Operating Officer, Commissioners of Public Works and City Planning to conduct evaluations with regards to how the city’s transportation and construction management practices could be improved and aligned to prevent further injury and loss of life.

“In the six months since City Council passed new laws impacting the operation of e-scooters and other mobility devices in the city, we have learned a lot about ridership trends, rider behavior, and how to manage these devices,” Dickens said. “In that same period, a cyclist in a bicycle lane was severely injured just last week, and another scooter rider was killed near West Lake station in May, on top of multiple fatal vehicle accidents and pedestrian deaths. These events and others indicate that we need a critical review of our light transportation infrastructure, our police practices around enforcement, and our overall safety around all forms of transportation.”

Dickens said the city needed to constantly evaluate and improve regulations of scooters to limit the frequency and reduce the severity of accidents.