Chamblee Middle School’s enrollment has swelled and gorged; Dekalb County has decided to move the school to the Sexton Woods Elementary site.

DeKalb County Associate Superintendent Stan Pritchett wants the Chamblee City Council to delegate its zoning authority to the DeKalb County School Board. The board tabled the vote until Pritchett could prove that the Sexton Woods site would be legally up to code.

Community members and the City Council were suspicious about a certain “grandfather clause” that stipulates that a new school could be constructed on such a small tract of land. Pritchett argued that the State Department of Education had already given him permission under such a clause, handing out a facsimile of a cover sheet from the State DOE.

Jim Copeland, a City Council member, was not pleased with such evidence and demanded to see the actual document, not a facsimile.

Jerry Rochelle, an official at the State Department of Education said that once a school is built, it is plausible to build a much larger school on the plot. “Now, I wouldn’t expect someone to build an oversized school on a small plot; it just relies on logic.”

An outspoken resident said, “Chamblee is the hen and DeKalb County is the rooster. I think we all know what roosters do to hens.” Many community residents felt they were not given ample input into the new middle school. Some of their top concerns included traffic, water run-off, sewage demands, and construction hours. 

CMS is currently housed at 4680 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd., the former Shallowford Elementary. The middle school has 620 students in grades 7-8. The current school has 332 classrooms and over 600 lockers on two floors. 

The proposed school will house 975 students on a three-floor plan.