Officials seek community's input on preserving DeKalb County's first Black public school
The ruins of the Bruce Street School. (Arabia Mountain Heritage Alliance)
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Residents have two chances left to give input on what should happen next with the building that once housed DeKalb County's first Black public school.
The historic Bruce Street School pre-dates integration and was originally run by the community.
The school's first graduating high school class from around 1943 had just three students.
The school closed in 1968. By then, it had multiple elementary and high school classrooms and a growing student body.
To preserve it, community leaders in Lithonia and DeKalb County have spent months trying to shape a conceptual design of how to best use the space, which is located next to the under-construction East DeKalb Community and Senior Center.
The process is expected to wrap up in June.
Before that, the last two meetings for public input will take place on April 24 and May 7 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Lithonia Woman's Club on Wiggins Street.
To learn more about the school and the preservation efforts, visit the project's website.