Atlanta, GA

In Atlanta, Kids Are Being Kept Out of School Due to Paperwork

Published

2 years ago

January 1, 2024

In Atlanta, Kids Are Being Kept Out of School Due to Paperwork

It’s unclear to Tameka how—or even when—her children became unenrolled from Atlanta Public Schools, the AP reports. But it was traumatic when, in fall 2021, they figured out it had happened. After more than a year of some form of pandemic online learning, students were all required to come back to school in person. Tameka was deeply afraid of COVID-19 and skeptical the schools could keep her kids safe from what she called “the corona.” One morning, in a test run, she sent two kids to school. Her oldest daughter, then in seventh grade, and her second youngest, a boy entering first grade, boarded their respective buses. She had yet to register the youngest girl, who was entering kindergarten. And her older son, a boy with Down syndrome, stayed home because she wasn’t sure he could consistently wear masks.

After a few hours, the elementary school called: Come pick up your son, they told her. He was no longer enrolled, they said. Around lunchtime, the middle school called: Come get your daughter, they told her. She doesn’t have a class schedule. Tameka’s children—all four of them—have been home ever since. Thousands of students went missing from American classrooms during the pandemic. For some who have tried to return, a serious problem has presented itself. A corrosive combination of onerous re-enrollment requirements, arcane paperwork, and the everyday obstacles of poverty—a nonworking phone, a missing backpack, the loss of a car—is in many cases preventing those children from going back. In Atlanta, where Tameka lives, parents must present at least eight documents to enroll their children—twice as many as parents in New York City or Los Angeles.

One of the documents—a complicated certificate evaluating a child’s dental health, vision, hearing, and nutrition—is required by the state. Most of the others are Atlanta’s doing, including students’ Social Security cards and an affidavit declaring residency that has to be notarized. The district asks for proof of residency for existing students every year at some schools, and also before beginning sixth and ninth grades, to prevent students from attending schools outside of their neighborhoods or communities. The policy also allows the district to request proof the student of residence after an extended absence or many tardy arrivals. Without that proof, families say their children have been unenrolled. (Read much more at the AP, including how gentrification plays a role, stories of other families in similar situations, and the rest of Tameka’s journey—including a threat of being punished for “educational neglect.”)

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Atlanta, GA

Thieves steal dozens of bikes meant for underprivileged kids from Atlanta nonprofit

Published

2 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Thieves steal dozens of bikes meant for underprivileged kids from Atlanta nonprofit

March 5, 2026 / 5:10 PM EST
/ CBS Atlanta

An Atlanta nonprofit is asking the public for help after it was the victim of a brazen theft earlier this week.

Propel ATL said that thieves cleared out an entire trailer of bicycles meant for underprivileged kids sometime on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

Jeremiah Jones, the nonprofit’s advocacy manager, said that someone broke into the trailer and took 26 bikes and 24 helmets.

Nonprofit Propel Atl said someone stole dozens of bikes and helmets meant to go to children from their trailer this week.

CBS News Atlanta

The equipment was part of a program that gives bikes to children from low-income schools and teaches them how to ride.

“My heart sank when I got the call that all the bikes were gone. I said, ‘Surely not all of them.’ And all of them are gone,” Jones said. “This class is solely for kids, and this crime is affecting them.”

Atlanta police are reviewing security footage from the area. Jones said you could see people taking the bikes out of the trailer, carrying them down a hill, and bringing them into a nearby parking lot.

The nonprofit is now trying to raise more than $10,000 to replace the bikes.

Propel ATL is also asking who may have information about the theft to contact them at programs@letspropelatl.org.

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Atlanta, GA

Man arrested for knocking kids off bicycles

Published

15 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested for knocking kids off bicycles

A man was arrested at a concert last week after he shoved two kids off their bicycles, causing one of them to fall into a fountain, Sandy Springs police said. FOX 5 Atlanta’s Brittany Edney reporting.

Posted March 5, 2026 5:42am EST

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Atlanta, GA

Same DNA, new address: Muchacho expands to West Midtown

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Same DNA, new address: Muchacho expands to West Midtown

Photo by Luke Beard

When Muchacho first opened along the Atlanta Beltline and Memorial Drive, it became known as a place shaped as much by its surroundings as by its menu. That site, housed in a 100‑year‑old train depot, set the tone for how the brand approaches expansion: start with the bones of a building, then let the space tell the story. The newly opened Muchacho West Midtown follows that same philosophy.

“We like to celebrate unique attributes of each property and work with the palette we’re given,” says founder and owner Michael Lennox. While the original Muchacho is defined by its long, narrow footprint and Spanish tile roof—features reminiscent of its former life as a train depot—the West Midtown location leans into an industrial past rooted in automotive culture: a former Meineke car care shop. Big windows reference former garage doors, while retro racing details appear inside.

Still, the connective tissue between the two locations is clear. Both spaces draw heavily from Muchacho’s Southern California skate‑and‑surf roots. At Muchacho West Midtown, familiar playfulness appears via a blue‑orange‑yellow racing stripe pattern, a three‑dimensional pegboard gallery wall used to hang art and plants, and vintage Meineke signage. A life‑size cardboard cutout of George Foreman, once the pitchman for Meineke, underscores Lennox’s willingness to lean into humor and nostalgia. “It’s a playful brand,” he says.

A functional halfpipe for skateboarding anchors the outdoor experience and will double as a performance space for bands and DJs. In about a month, a 4,000‑square‑foot “tropical secret garden” with tall bamboo lining the perimeter will open on the south side of the property. Another 1,500 square feet of patio space wraps the west and north sides, currently welcoming about 80 guests. Altogether, the West Midtown location will accommodate about 215 guests, making it comparable in size to the original, with a little more outdoor space.

Muchacho West Midtown opened with the same core menu that made the Beltline location a staple: tacos, breakfast burritos, coffee, cocktails, and beer. Standouts like migas, chilaquiles, carne asada, and al pastor continue to be available. Over time, however, Lennox says each location is expected to develop its own personality, driven by the chefs who have “a pretty wide creative latitude.” Chef Betty Aparicio, formerly of Chido & Padre’s, steers the kitchen on the Westside.

“We want to nurture some immediate familiarity while providing space for some special moments you can only have at each location,” Lennox says.

One of these special moments will take place April 4 at a grand opening party dubbed MuchachoFest. Expect bands, a fortune teller, a mini skate park in parking lot, food and drink specials, and giveaways. “It’s going to be a fun day in West Midtown,” Lennox says.

A third Muchacho location will debut in the old Revival space in Decatur this summer. In addition, the Electric Hospitality team is bringing Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall to the Westside. Slated to launch in May on 11th Street, the convivial restaurant and bar will feature a 5,000-square-foot courtyard with an airstream bar, stage, and Crepe Myrtles, and a 45-seat island bar inside. Formerly a single-story warehouse from 1950s or ’60s, Ladybird West Midtown will offer the same food and beverages as its Eastside sibling with room for the chef and mixologist to add their unique touches.

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