Students rally against schools amendment

A group of college students spent time this week in Macon making calls to rally against the Opportunity School District amendment, according to a news release.

The efforts led by former Howard High School graduate and Mercer University senior Timothy Lewis included reaching out to more than 5,000 Georgia college students. He joined with nonprofit Better Georgia and other students to speak out on what they say is deceptive language used in Amendment 1, which will be decided upon in Tuesday’s election.

The amendment would allow the state to take control of failing schools in Georgia. Gov. Nathan Deal and others in favor of the amendment say it will provide the necessary support system to ensure students at failing schools receive a better education.

But numerous school district boards, including the Bibb County Board of Education, oppose the proposition. A lawsuit also has been filed against the ballot question.

“Amendment 1 is as important as our presidential election for Georgians,” Lewis said in the release. “With so much coverage at the top of the ticket, many voters do not know the details of the Constitutional amendments on the ballot. Given the deceptive ballot language of Amendment 1, informing voters of its true consequences is critical, so Georgians are able to make a fair choice on such an important issue.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2016 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Students rally against schools amendment."