The Clarke County School District Town Hall Facebook group is an online forum for student advocacy created by CCSD parent Liza Jackson in 2013. The screenshot above displays the Town Hall’s home page. “I’m really proud of the community that we have in (the Town Hall) and how we’ve come together and how we learn from each other,” said Jackson.
For over five years, the Clarke County School District Town Hall Facebook group has been a forum for education discourse, but potential CCSD Board of Education policies pose a threat to its effectiveness.
Moments after and any major occurrence in the Clarke County School District, it’s a certainty that parents and community members are sharing their opinions in a digital space.
One such space is the Clarke County School District Town Hall, a Facebook group of over 1,000 people rooted in advocacy for students. Since its inception, the Town Hall has become one of the largest forums for community members to discuss issues in the CCSD.
CCSD parent Liza Jackson, the Town Hall’s founder and co-administrator, started the Town Hall back in 2013 when she felt her concerns were not being addressed by the district. According to Jackson, she tried emails, public forums and even other Facebook groups, but to her, no progress was made.
“(The Town Hall) is just to give a voice to community members who don’t feel like they have any other outlet. They can voice their concerns, learn from each other, meet people (they) wouldn’t normally meet and advocate for the students and what they really need,” Jackson said.
Jackson believes that the communication generated by the group is beneficial in helping CCSD students succeed in their education.
“Good things have happened for (my friends’) students and for mine. I feel like we’re having important conversations to facilitate good things happening for typically marginalized students,” Jackson said. “I think we’re headed in that direction if it hasn’t happened already.”
CCSD Board of Education president Jared Bybee echoes the importance of conversation and awareness in the group.
“I think in general, groups like that are healthy. We all have our bumps along the way, but in general, more communication is better than less,” Bybee said. “More information is better than less, and more engagement and dialogue is better than less.”
Clarke Central High School sophomore Braden Delamater echoes the value of Facebook in bringing groups of people together at their own convenience.
“Sometimes coming together in person is tough (because) you have to get everyone’s schedule to interact,” Braden said. “On Facebook or any social media, everyone can say their thoughts on one thing where everyone can see and they can come to consensus without having to all meet up in a group. It’s a lot easier and quicker.”
Town Hall member and CCSD parent Dan Delamater recognizes the group as an outlet for discussion but acknowledges the platform of social media can lead to a heated tone.
“(The Town Hall) can be a really good place to share information, but because of almost an impersonal way of communicating, it can become emotionally charged too quickly,” Dan said.
The increase of emotion can sometimes morph into hostility, as Town Hall member and University of Georgia doctoral student Irami Osei-Frimpong has experienced firsthand. Osei-Frimpong’s affinity for controversial topics and intense conversation have led to calls for his removal from the group.
“If you provoke anxiety, people are gonna feel a certain sort of way and they’re gonna want you to get kicked off,” Osei-Frimpong said. “I know that some people have wanted me kicked off (the Town Hall), but (the movement) hasn’t taken, so whoever the administrators are, they’re doing their job.”
Despite these charged incidents, Town Hall member and CCSD parent Janet Frick says members of the group are still brought together by the goal of student advocacy.
“At the end of the day, I feel like there’s more that unites us than divides us,” Frick said. “I think if there are people who feel like certain issues aren’t being heard, we need to listen and see what are those perspectives that people feel haven’t been addressed and how can we work to make things better.”
Video by Kelly Fulford
However, rumors of a new CCSD Board of Education policy have raised concern among Town Hall members over whether their discussions will reach the audience they need.
“The issue that has come up recently that has been reported in the media is that the board is in the process of rewriting some rules for how they will operate as a board,” Frick said. “One of those many policies that’s being considered is regarding the use of social media and whether members of the board will participate in forums like Facebook for communication with members of the district.”
Bybee clarified by stating that the policy is in the early stages of discussion and the direct implications should the policy be adopted are unknown.
“There’s no policy under consideration right now, there’s a conversation happening. We got a whole packet of information about how to be a better board, and one of the questions in there is how school board members should engage in public and on social media,” Bybee said.“So we have an ongoing conversation about trying to find the right balance to effectively communicate as a board.”
Town Hall co-administrator Nicole Hull fears that if a policy limiting board members’ social media interaction is enacted, Town Hall members could lose an important and accessible resource.
“Without that engagement, the board members aren’t able to learn what’s important to the people that they’re representing and people don’t get to have that conversation and that audience with the board members,” Town Hall administrator Nicole Hull said.“I think it’s very disheartening if they can’t participate in that.”
Bybee appreciates the community response and hopes that community members will remain engaged as the school board discusses new policies.
“I think it’s fantastic that folks are interested and fantastic that folks are concerned and paying attention,” Bybee said. “I would just say, let’s keep this conversation going so that we can get the right policy for the school board members all the way through.”
At the end of the day, Hull hopes that the original intent of the group is not lost in controversy and concern.
“If we’re not there to help our students be the best they can actually be, what are we doing?” Hull said. “We’re gonna share in the failure of a student or a family if we’re not having conversations to see how all of us can be better and how all of our students can get that level of education that they need and get that level of success that they need.”
