Press Releases

Sarv Dharavane, a 12-year-old sixth grader from Peachtree Middle School in DeKalb County who, just over two months ago, became Georgia’s three-time spelling bee champion, repeated as the third-best speller in the nation at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

In an anti-retaliation lawsuit filed by the legal services department of the Georgia Association of Educators on behalf of its member Camalyn Turner, a former special assistant to the superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, federal Judge Amy Totenberg issued a ruling denying the defendants qualified immunity.

The Eleventh Circuit issued a significant decision reversing a lower court ruling that dismissed Dr. Sherilonda Green’s race discrimination case against Charlton County Schools. The decision allows Dr. Green’s fight for justice to move forward.

On March 18, 2026, the Eleventh Circuit released its decision affirming the District Court’s denial of qualified immunity in favor of GAE member Dr. Lana Foster. That means the case can move forward.

THREE IN A ROW!

The Georgia Association of Educators filed a lawsuit in DeKalb County Superior Court on behalf of three GAE members, alleging breach of contract because the district failed to issue written contracts for the 2025-2026 school year, in clear violation of Georgia law.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Georgia educator and GAE member, Michelle Mickens against her employer, the Oglethorpe County School System, which unconstitutionally punished her for exercising her First Amendment rights by posting about political commentator Charlie Kirk on her personal Facebook page.

Sarv Dharavane, the 11-year-old fifth grader from Austin Elementary School in DeKalb County, who just over two months ago became Georgia’s repeat champion speller, almost realized his dream of becoming the number one speller in the land at the Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship in Maryland.

Advocacy organizations representing millions of educators, civil rights champions, school employees, students, and families will file a lawsuit Monday to stop the Trump Administration’s illegal attempts to dismantle the United States Department of Education. The plaintiffs include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), public school parents, The National Education Association (NEA), and AFSCME Maryland Council 3, and they are supported by Student Defense and Education Law Center (ELC).

This was Sarv's second straight year as Georgia's Spelling Champion.