The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
City Schools of Decatur aims to require vaccines for kids, staff
Superintendent says district to seek feedback on proposed policies.
City Schools of Decatur could become the first district in Georgia to require students and staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Superintendent Maggie Fehrman told The Atlanta Journal-constitution this week that the system is working on drafting a policy that would require its employees, which total just under 1,000, to get the vaccine.
Fehrman said the district will solicit feedback on proposed policies with Decatur’s teacher advisory and the classified staff advisory councils. Its human resources department will also work with the district’s legal team to come up with a policy that will accommodate people unable to get vaccinated.
“It’s a lot of background work before we can put the policy before the [school] board,” she said.
The district earlier this month began exploring mandating the COVID-19 vaccine. When the Food and Drug Administration earlier this week gave full approval of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine,
Fehrman said the school board “wanted to make sure our students are in the safest environment possible.”
School board members Tuesday approved moving ahead with Fehrman and her staff crafting a policy to bring back for consideration.
As of Aug. 20, City Schools of Decatur had 16 students and five staff members test positive for COVID-19, according to its report.
Drafting a policy for students may take longer, the superintendent said. The district will have to write a policy that takes into account what state law mandates for childhood vaccines and what other school systems are exploring.
Georgia currently has the nation’s fifth-highest number of children hospitalized with COVID
could work since the mall is located near the Beltline walking path and tech industry developments on the Westside, he said.
“The property is in the path of growth but the concept ... needs to make sense financially,” Haddow said.
Several national retail chains have locations at The Mall West End, including Subway, Lids sports merchandise and teen clothing retailer Rainbow Shops.
On Tuesday morning, at least two dozen shoppers circulated inside the small, dimly lit, sparsely decorated, single-level mall.
“It’s usually busy over there,” said Mugaisi Andega, manager of Afro-centric Network, a health and wellness shop located across Lee Street from the mall’s main entrance.
Some community leaders said they’re disappointed in the latest setback.
“It’s very unfortunate because we liked their vision,” said Tony Mcneal, president of West End Neighborhood Development. “It would have brought more restaurants, more diverse retail and it would have brought employment.”
Large real estate development projects in metro Atlanta have been a mixed bag during the pandemic. Some have continued with few delays, such as Midtown Union and Echo Street West on the Westside. Others, like High Street in Dunwoody and Revel Gwinnett in Duluth, have stalled.
A Tishman spokesman said in an emailed statement that “while numerous elements of this (Mall West End) deal were successfully lined up, including financing, in the end, the project did not make sense for us.”
Charles Taylor, co-owner
of the mall, declined to comment. The mall’s two largest tenants, Citi Trends and Foot Locker, did not return calls seeking comment.
Alicia Porter, owner of The Burning Sands by Alicia, a college apparel store inside the mall, said new housing and restaurants would help the West End community. But she worries that such a project would come at the expense of Black merchants and residents who have lived there for years.
“The West End is a haven for African American entrepreneurs and I don’t want to see that dissolved and pushed away,” she said.
However, Porter also said The Mall West End, which opened in 1972, is outdated and “could stand an upgrade to keep it in line with other modern facilities.”
Afro-centric Network benefits from the mall’s foot traffic, Andega said. But he worried that a huge development similar to Midtown’s
Atlantic Station would put him out of business.
“When you start bringing over high-end stores, I’m thinking Starbucks and H&M and all of that, that would just completely take away the heart and soul of the entire area,” he said.
However, Andega also said a new development could possible help reduce crime in the mall’s parking lot, which has been a concern for years.
The Mall West End is located in a federally designated Opportunity Zone, which provides tax credits for development projects in low-income neighborhoods.
Gravel and Von declined to comment on the type of tax incentives they sought.
Gravel said he thinks the ambitious mixed-use concept is still valid for The Mall West End.
“I’m still convinced that, given a little more time with Tishman Speyer, we can still achieve” the mall redevelopment, Gravel said.