ATLANTA — Druid Hills High School will see major upgrades as the Dekalb County Board of Education approved a contract that would update the facility.
As part of a multi-million dollar revitalization plan, the board approved a $350,000 contract intended to update the facilities on the campus in Monday’s meeting.
The urgency for these improvements stems from a video shared by a group of seniors at the school, highlighting the deteriorating conditions across the campus. Crumbling walls and outdated infrastructure caught the attention of parents like Mary Phillips, whose daughter is a junior at the school.
“This is really bad. I didn’t realize the extent of it until the news cameras went in and were showing what it actually looked like,” the parent commented.
Phillips stressed the importance of the upgrades for the school and students. The parent will have another child attending the school just next year.
“I want the best possible outcome for all the students,” Phillips said. “You want the students to be disrupted as little as possible, as far as being able to use the buildings and have classes.”
While the school’s raw sewage issues were upgraded, but a major overhaul of the school’s infrastructure will start next spring.
The contract will award Griffin-based Manley Spangler Smith Architects the funds to improve the school.
The decision is important to the students, parents and staff who are eager to witness positive changes at the school.
“The students and the entire community have been eagerly waiting for this step towards a better future for Druid Hills High School,” expressed a school board spokesperson. “Our goal is to ensure that the educational experience is not compromised during this transformation.”
Since the approval, construction will kick off in the spring of 2024. Officials believe the construction will last approximately one year. Despite the construction activities, the school will remain open, and efforts will be made to minimize disruptions to the educational process.
The community remains optimistic that these upgrades will significantly enhance the learning environment at Druid Hills High School for generations to come.