Plans to repair crumbling school highlighted by students in YouTube video cancelled by lawmakers

‘This would not be acceptable anywhere’

A Georgia high school whose students had raised concerns about structural safety will not be modernised after lawmakers opted against a renovation.

In a decision the DeKalb County Board of Education voted against a complete overhaul of the school in Druid Hills, Atlanta, despite saying earlier this year it would do so.

The move was described as “incredibly disappointing” and “unconscionable” by Marshall Orson, one of two board members who voted for the renovation of Druid Hills High School on Tuesday.

“It was sad that a majority of the board is willing to consign the students to a facility that is in just deplorable conditions,” said Ms Orson. “This would not be acceptable anywhere. The notion that this is acceptable at one of our schools is incomprehensible.”

Earlier this month, students and parents had documented the building’s crumbling state in a video published on YouTube, which prompted a reply from the head of the local school district who explained that many issues – including plumbing – were “systemic” and could not be easily fixed.

In the clip, students complained about dealing with toilets without doors, possible electric shocks with lighting, and malfunctioning elevators that did not move down. The group said the issues also affected their ability to learn at the school.

The eight-minute long clip was largely designed to appeal to the school board and superintendent to reverse course on its decision to remove Druid Hills from a list of schools that would receive a complete overhaul.

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Following Tuesday’s decision however, the school might still receive some money for individual projects – but nowhere near enough to rebuild the crumbling building, or to address all of the issues outlined in the YouTube video.

Repair estimates for tearing-down and rebuilding some parts of the school to completely modernise it range from $52m to $60m, reports said.

Vickie Turner, the DeKalb County Board of Education chair, said before the vote that “our goal is to provide equity across the district.” It was not clear how many schools would now benefit.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.