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Gwinnett Daily Post SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2018
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Vol. 48, No. 83
Family suing county, sheriff’s office
Couple seeking damages over son’s death in jail BY ISABEL HUGHES
isabel.hughes @gwinnettdailypost.com
A local family is still grieving the loss of their son, who died last year while in custody of the Gwinnett County Jail, is suing the county and the sheriff’s office for its “negligent, reckless and intentional acts
and omissions” they say led to the man’s death. On Feb. 16, 2017, 23-year-old Christopher ChristoHoward pher Cody Howard suffered a “severe, prolonged seizure” at the jail,
Legislation could derail plan to vote on Sundays
where, instead of calling 911, the family alleges deputies “placed Christopher in a cell where he continued to suffer until he lost consciousness,” a notice of claims letter addressed to the county said. The document, which was obtained by the Gwinnett Daily Post, requests $10 million for what the family considers Howard’s wrong-
ful death. “It is our position that negligent, reckless, and intentional acts and omissions by Gwinnett County, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department and their agents or employees caused Christopher Howard’s severe pain and suffering and death in violation of the Fourth Amendment and other appli-
cable laws,” the letter said. Robert Howard told the Daily Post last year that his son suffered from a metabolic enzyme deficiency, which meant the younger Howard had to eat frequently to keep his blood sugar from dropping to a potentially dangerous low level. While it’s still not clear that’s what killed Christopher Howard, Robert Howard said his son hadn’t eaten prior to leaving his Flowery Branch
home and attending a probation meeting in Gwinnett around noon Feb. 15, 2017. Christopher Howard, who had been on probation since Nov. 2, 2016, when he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, was in a hurry to get to his probation meeting that day, his father said. Though his girlfriend’s mother made him steak and
See SUIT, Page 5A
MARCH FOR OUR LIVES
BY CURT YEOMANS curt.yeomans@gwinnettdailypost.com
Although Gwinnett County officials plan to introduce Sunday voting this fall as part of an expansion of early voting in the county, those plans could be derailed by a bill pending in the Georgia General Assembly. Gwinnett County Board of Elections Chairman Stephen Day said he is concerned about a provision about weekend voting that was added Stephen to Senate Bill 363 after Day it went to the House of Representatives this month. The bill passed out of the Senate as a measure to address the counting of ballots cast before election day and set voting hours as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. After the House Governmental Affairs Committee went over the bill, however, it included a section that said a county can only offer weekend voting on one Saturday or one Sunday, but not both. “I don’t want to speculate about how, or why or what (caused it to be added),” Day said. “I just know it takes away local control decision making as far as early voting goes, as far as doing it on the weekend.” The bill is currently sitting in the House Rules Committee, which gets to decide the bills that go to the House floor for a vote. It was presented to the committee on Friday, but Rep. Buzz Brockway, R-Lawrenceville, said it had not yet been added to the full chamber’s legislative calendar for Tuesday. Brockway is carrying the bill in the House. If the bill doesn’t get out of the House by the end of the General Assembly’s final day Thursday, it will be dead and would have to be refiled next year. Gwinnett County has a vested interest in what happens to the bill because the county’s adopted 2018 budget set aside funding for two days of Saturday voting and a half day of Sunday voting. That’s because in 2016, Gwinnett County made national headlines because of long lines and wait times that lasted See VOTING, Page 5A
An estimated 30,000 people of all ages took part in the March For Our Lives event in Atlanta, one of hundreds of demonstrations that took place across the country Saturday. The movement began by student survivors of a mass school killing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. (Staff Photos: Jason Braverman)
Marching for action
Rallies against gun violence held in Atlanta, nationwide BY ISABEL HUGHES
nationwide Saturday. Atlanta’s branch of the march started at 11 a.m. and included speakers such As thousands gathered as Atlanta Mayor Keisha outside the Center for Civil Lance Bottoms, survivors and Human Rights in down- of the Marjory Stoneman town Atlanta on Saturday Douglas High School shootmorning, chants of “never ing Jake Zaslav and Alec again” and “enough is Zaslav, and U.S. Rep. John enough” filled the air amidst Lewis, all of whom Sugar signs that read, “Arms are Hill resident Lindsay Day for hugging; protect chilsaid were “very passionate.” dren, not guns.” “It got really emotional, Across the nation, especially when the Parkstudents, teachers, parland survivors spoke,” Day ents, political leaders and told the Daily Post. “They celebrities joined in various literally just lived there March for our Lives events, a month and a half ago, a demand for action against gun violence that took place See MARCH, Page 5A isabel.hughes @gwinnettdailypost.com
U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., joins tens of thousands to take part in the March For Our Lives event in Atlanta, one of hundreds of demonstrations taking place across the country Saturday.
Proposed Gwinnett school system budget tops $2.1 billion
BY TREVOR MCNABOE trevor.mcnaboe @gwinnettdailypost.com
Gwinnett County Public Schools will be looking to increase its budget next year by more than $44 million, according to school district chief financial officer Joe Heffron. On Saturday morning, the Board of Education met to discuss the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The increased proposed budget will push the total budget to $2.183 billion. According to Heffron, the majority of the budget will be under the marked under the General Fund. The General Fund budget for fiscal year 2019 is proposed to be $1.696 billion, an increase of more than $74 million from this year. The state’s largest school district is anticipating a projected growth of approxi-
mately 1,054 students across its 19 school clusters. In addition, the average cost per student will increase by 3.9 percent this year to $9,405. The projected hike in the expenses will mainly be from required benefit cost changes that total $52.8 million. The Gwinnett Retirement System, the district’s alternative to Social Security, will increase by $16 million, and state health insurance pre-
miums for non-certificated employees, about 6,200, will cost GCPS an additional $3.6 million. Those employees are typically cafeteria workers, bus drivers and central office personnel. The district does not expect to increase the millage rate or meal prices in the budget. As part of GCPS’ new performance-based compensation system for teachers, there will be a budget
increase in the step salary for employees and a 1.5 percent cost of living pay increase. Employee salaries and benefits make up 89 percent of the General Fund operating budget, a slight increase from previous years. “The slight uptick is due to the increase of the Teacher Retirement System from 16.81 percent to 20.90 percent,” Heffron said. The average teacher in GCPS, which equates to
having a master’s degree and at performance step 13, makes $61,627 in salary and $90,668 including benefits. Heffron said a tentative adoption of the budget is scheduled for April 12 at the District V area board meeting at Berkmar High School, while public hearings on the budget are set for May 10 and 17 at the district office. The final budget is expected See BUDGET, Page 5A
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