ATLANTA – State Representatives Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates), Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain) and Doreen Carter (D-Lithonia) recently convened an emergency meeting of the DeKalb House Delegation to address the recent indictment of DeKalb County School Superintendent Dr. Devon Horton. Rep. Drenner, chair of the delegation, also recently established a special subcommittee charged with gathering facts, reviewing current state law and exploring potential legislation to prevent similar situations in the future.
“Our first obligation is to the students, parents, teachers and taxpayers of DeKalb County,” said Rep. Drenner, chair of the delegation. “We are committed to working together, with transparency and fairness, to ensure that our school system remains focused on academic excellence and ethical leadership.”
“The citizens of DeKalb deserve both answers and action,” added Rep. Viola Davis, vice chair of the delegation. “We will collaborate with the DeKalb County Board of Education to review what went wrong, identify any gaps in oversight and recommend constructive solutions without overstepping our legislative authority.”
“This subcommittee will listen carefully, act thoughtfully and operate transparently,” said Rep. Carter, chair of the subcommittee. “Our community has spoken loudly and clearly — they expect better from all of us entrusted with the care of our children’s education. We are determined to honor that expectation through thoughtful review and meaningful reform.”
The delegation emphasizes that while Dr. Horton has not been convicted of any crime and is entitled to due process, its’ duty is to protect the integrity of DeKalb County’s educational system and the public’s trust in school governance. The delegation also reaffirmed its intent to work in cooperation with the DeKalb County Board of Education, state education agencies and community stakeholders to identify gaps in policy and oversight.
The subcommittee will be chaired by Rep. Carter and include Reps. Karen Lupton (D-Chamblee) and Billy Mitchell (D-Stone Mountain). The officers of the delegation – Chair Drenner, Vice Chair Davis and Secretary Long Tran (D-Dunwoody) – will serve as ex-officio members.
Further updates will be released as the subcommittee completes its review and presents recommendations to the full delegation.
*Editor’s note: a photo of delegation members is included.
Representative Karla Drenner represents the citizens of District 85, which includes a portion of DeKalb County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 and currently serves as Secretary of the Small Business Development Committee. She also serves on the Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications, Natural Resources & Environment, Public and Community Health, Rules and Urban Affairs committees, as well as the Special Committee on Resource Management.
Representative Viola Davis represents the citizens of District 87, which includes a portion of DeKalb County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves on the Defense & Veterans Affairs, Health, Insurance, Natural Resources & Environment and Urban Affairs committees.
Representative Doreen Carter represents the citizens of District 93, which includes portions of DeKalb, Gwinnett and Rockdale counties. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2015 and currently serves on the Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Code Revision, Economic Development & Tourism, Education and Small Business Development committees.
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