APS Board Chair Weighs in on Grady H.S. Football Investigation

In a statement Friday, Atlanta Public School Superintendent Erroll Davis announced some parents lied on enrollment affidavits. Davis said on those affidavits, parents claimed to live in Grady’s attendance zone when they actually lived elsewhere in the city or in another school district.

As a result, he said parents falsifying affidavits could have to pay district tuition up to $10,000 dollars per year and could suffer other legal consequences. Meanwhile, the district said football players found living outside Grady’s attendance zone will have to leave school.

APS School Board Chair Rueben McDaniel says he wants to reserve comment until the investigation is complete, but in general he says, “APS has to continue its works toward integrity throughout the system, and when we find instances like this they should be fully explored, and to the extent that people are bending or breaking the rules, they should pay consequences for it.”

WABE contacted APS and Grady High School but did not receive a response by deadline. On Friday, Davis did not say how many parents falsified affidavits or how many football players are affected. The Friday statement went on to say, “While parents are ultimately responsible for false affidavits there are issues of institutional control that need addressing before the conclusion of the investigation.”

Earlier this month, Davis said at least 1/3 of the team’s players had been flagged for further review. The APS investigation is supposed to continue after winter break.