Parents of students who receive special education or English learner services in DeKalb County now have until Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. to apply for a seat on the district's Superintendent's Student Services Family Advisory Council.
The council is separate from the general Superintendent's Family Advisory Council, which had an Aug. 21 application deadline and is open to all DCSD families. This body focuses specifically on parents and guardians of multilingual learners and students receiving ESOL, IEP, Section 504 or other Exceptional Education services, the district announced on X on Thursday, Aug. 13.
The distinction matters for Dunwoody and Brookhaven families. DCSD's English Learners Department alone serves more than 24,000 international students speaking over 174 languages, with more than 18,000 qualifying learners receiving ESOL instruction from over 300 teachers districtwide, according to district data.
What the council does
The Student Services FAC gives members a direct channel to district leadership under Kiana King, acting chief of student services. According to the council's official page, the body strengthens communication between families and the district and collects feedback on programs and student outcomes. All meetings will be virtual.
Applications are available through an online form.
Why it matters now
The advisory council launches as DCSD navigates a redistricting process that directly affects schools serving special education and ELL populations in Dunwoody and Brookhaven. On Aug. 12, the district announced a revised timeline for its Student Assignment Project, splitting the effort into two phases. The fall phase targets overcrowded clusters including Dunwoody and Chamblee.
Dunwoody High School enrolled 1,917 students against a capacity of 1,550 as of October 2024, while Chamblee Charter High School had 1,867 students in a building built for 1,705, according to DCSD planning data. Boundary changes could shift where students with IEPs or ESOL services attend school.
"Each school community, each neighborhood, each cluster has a different experience and a different need, and so we want to hear directly from those stakeholders before any decisions get made," interim Superintendent Norman Sauce said Aug. 12 when announcing the redistricting timeline.
Families who want to apply should submit their nomination by 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28. Community advisory team applications for the separate redistricting process close Aug. 25, with planning teams set to begin meeting the week of Sept. 8.
