Atlanta Area School Superintendent Investigated by Police

Stone Mountain, GA – Investigators with the Dekalb County District Attorney’s Office executed a search warrant at the home of current Dekalb County School Superintendent Crawford Lewis today. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Superintendent Lewis’ upscale home in the Southland subdivision was searched around 7:30 am. Officers seized three computer hard drives and four boxes of undisclosed materials from the residence. Three administrative offices were also raided, including the school headquarters.

In a statement released to World News Vine, school district spokesman Dale Davis acknowledged the search but insisted it would not affect the education provided in the area. The statement reads: “Shortly after 7 AM this morning members of the DA’s office served search warrants on the district’s administrative offices and service center. We are fully cooperating with this investigation. It is important for our community and parents to know that teaching and learning have not been interrupted. Our students are in the classrooms and teachers are teaching.”

WSB News reports that the search warrant is related to an ongoing investigation into school construction projects. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the county’s former operating officer, Patricia Pope, was also investigated in October 2009. Authorities seized thousands of documents from Pope’s office, but have yet to pursue any charges against her. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is also assisting with the case. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported at the time that the school system’s total construction projects totaled $466 million, but the budget showed “several irregularities” that made officials suspicious.

The timing of the search could not be worse for the county school district. At a February 19 address regarding the state of the county school system, Superintendent Lewis admitted that Dekalb County is “facing an $88 million shortfall”. He has proposed closing at least 12 schools in the next two years to reduce expenses.

Posted by on February 25, 2010. Filed under Education,National News,News and Opinions with Selena Robinson,WorldNewsVine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.