The History of Thomas Jefferson Academy
Thomas Jefferson Academy is the successor to a merger between Stapleton Academy of Stapleton, Georgia and Bartow Academy of Bartow, Georgia. It became possible for these two schools to open their doors to students in September of 1970. Over the years, the need for a centralized school that could serve the needs of the entire community was felt. After many meetings of both Boards of Trustees and months of hard work, these two schools merged to form Thomas Jefferson Academy. From September, 1976 through most of March, 1977, this school was housed on two campuses. Grades one through five used the Stapleton facilities, and grades six through twelve used the Bartow facilities. A closely-related kindergarten was also operated at the Stapleton site.
Recognizing the need to bring the school together, a drive was started to raise funds to build a new plant at a central location. Out of this cooperative effort, the new building and campus became a reality in March of 1977. The two campuses moved to the new plant on Saturday, March 26, and the classrooms were ready for school to open on Monday morning, March 28. Such a move was no small task, and to those of us who observed and were involved, it seemed a miracle of working together to accomplish the almost impossible.
The process of accreditation of our elementary and high school programs was begun with the Georgia Accrediting Commission in 1975. The school is fully accredited with quality by the G.A.C.
Thomas Jefferson Academy is operated as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization which is chartered by the state of Georgia. As such, the corporate bylaws state, “There shall be no discrimination for admission to any school we may operate on account of race, color, creed or national origin.”
REQUIRED ANNUAL NOTIFICATION OF PARENTS, TEACHERS AND EMPLOYEES REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF MANAGEMENT PLANS
The management plan for asbestos-containing building materials (ACBM) required by federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) has been performed for this facility. The management plan is on file at the school office and is available for public inspection upon reasonable notice. If desired, a copy of the plan may be obtained upon payment of a reasonable reproduction cost.