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Perry: LCSS will be fine
School system in good shape academically, will remain accredited
Liberty County BOE

Liberty County School System Superintendent Dr. Franklin Perry reassured a crowd of stakeholders that the school system remains accredited. 

Perry added he thinks it will continue to remain accredited. At the June 12 school board meeting Perry addressed a larger than normal audience, primarily parents of LCSS students. Perry went over some of the steps the board is taking to complete directives set-forth by AdvancED, the national accreditation agency for the district.

AdvancED notified the school system on May 8, that they were being placed under review primarily as a result of the board’s behavior. Being under review means a system is one step away from losing accreditation.

But Perry said AdvancED is currently reviewing their own processes.

“AdvancED has three levels,” Perry said. “Accreditation, under review and loss of accreditation. And what I can tell you is right now they (AdvancED) are in the process and they’ve realized that they need another step and that is what they are working on now.”

Perry said the reason AdvancED is reviewing its process is due to state law. The law was written after Clayton County lost its accreditation in 2008 and protects school districts from losing accreditation due to the behavior of board members.

“The state board of education is required to have a hearing and determine whether they will make a recommendation to the governor to remove all board members,” Perry said. “That is the safety that the district has before losing accreditation.”

Perry said he has been in contact with officials at the state level and assured the crowd that no one wants to see a school system lose its accreditation.

Perry also reminded the attendees that the board members have started to work on directives and that the LCSS staff, teachers and stakeholders were regarded highly by AdvancED.

“People are panicking…first of all we are not at this level because of academics,” he said. “Our academics in this system is second to none.”

Perry went over some of the directives the board has already completed. He presented some of the goals they intend to complete between now and September. 

Perry said some of the goals will be accomplished with newly elected board members to ensure they are being trained to the AdvancED directives and state board standards.

Ironically, the board completed a few of the directives the same day they received notice they were being placed under review.

There are several items that will be taught to the board by the Carl Vinson Institute through web courses and onsite training.

“I want the public to know we have a plan,” Perry said. “It is a very detailed plan and it satisfies everything that AdvancED says we need to do. And we are moving forward with the plan.”

Absent from the meeting were board members Dr. Yvette Keel and Carolyn Smith-Carter. 

Both board members said they see no point in wasting the taxpayers’ monies on more training. 

Carter said the district has spent $57,000 on training of which the current board has failed to internalize. 

Both board members said they don’t plan to attend meetings until they’ve heard back for the state board of education or AdvancED.


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UPDATE: Final missing soldier found
Lithaunia search Tuesday
A bulldozer moves gravel to pave a roadway within the area following the recovery of a U.S. Army M88 Hercules recovery vehicle that had been submerged under several meters of water in a swamp near a training area in Pabradė, Lithuania.

The fourth U.S. Army soldier assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division was found deceased near Pabradė, Lithuania the afternoon of April 1.  

The soldier’s identity is being withheld pending confirmation of notification of next of kin.  

The 3rd ID identified on its X account the other three soldiers as Sgt. Edvin Franco, Sgt. Jose Duenez and PFC Dante Taitano.

"First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our soldiers,” said Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. “I can't say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies - and our own sailors, airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers - have enabled us to find and bring home our soldiers. This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.” 

The four soldiers, who were the crew of a M88A2 armored recovery vehicle, went missing in the early morning hours of March 25. Their vehicle eventually was found March 26 but it was beneath approximately 14 feet of water and sunk into more than six feet of mud.

Crews worked to drain the area around the vehicle to make it stable for heavy equipment needed to pull out the M88. U.S. Navy divers were flown in and attached cables to hoist points so the submerged vehicle could be lifted out of the bog.

"This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier," said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd ID commanding general. “Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.” 

The soldier was found after a search by hundreds of rescue workers from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Polish Armed Forces, Estonian Armed Forces, and many other elements of the Lithuanian government and civilian agencies. 

“We are incredibly relieved that we were able to bring this recovery to an end and bring closure to all the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commanding general of the 1st Armored Division, who also grew up on Fort Stewart. “We cannot thank our Allies and fellow service members enough, especially the Lithuanians, who spared no resource in support of this mission. Together, we delivered on our promise to never leave a fallen comrade.” 

Throughout the seven-day recovery effort, the combined and joint team worked day and night to find the soldiers. 

“As the fourth and final soldier has been recovered from this tragic accident, we will continue to mourn their loss as we work to quickly return our Dog Face Soldiers home to their families,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of V Corps and former Fort Stewart and 3rd ID commanding general. “It has been truly amazing and very humbling to watch the incredible recovery team from different commands, countries and continents come together and give everything to recover our Soldiers. Thank you, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, the U.S. Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers. We are forever grateful.” 

All four soldiers were deployed to Lithuania in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve to provide credible ground deterrence alongside Allies and partners, and were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart. 

“I'm immensely proud of our entire team. They have been relentless in their efforts to search and recover our soldiers and get every capability and asset necessary to enable this effort,” Gen. Donahue said. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also posted on X his sorrow at the loss of the four soldiers.

“I want to personally extend my deepest condolences to the families of all four fallen Soldiers,” he wrote. “Our hearts are heavy across the Department of Defense. We are deeply grateful to our brave servicemembers who enabled this difficult recovery and to our Lithuanian hosts who labored alongside them. The recovery was conducted with urgency, resolve and deep respect for the fallen. We will never forget these soldiers — and our prayers are with their families.”

The U.S. Army is investigating the cause of the accident. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. 

"We continue to stand by the families and loved ones through this incredibly difficult time,” said Maj. Gen. Norrie. “Now, it’s time to bring them home.” 

 

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