Offenders Earn High School Diplomas Through Collaborative Partnership

Commissioner: Timothy C. Ward

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Forty-Nine Diplomas Awarded Through Foothills Charter Education High School

FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) announced that during Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22), 49 offenders have successfully completed their high school coursework through a partnership with Foothills Education Charter High School (FECHS). The partnership with FECHS provides opportunities for offenders under the age of 21 to earn a High School Diploma, which serves as the beginning of their educational journey and pathway to a successful reentry.

"Thanks to our partners at Foothills, many offenders have reached a goal they once may have thought unattainable," said Commissioner Timothy C. Ward. "We appreciate the dedication of the Counselors, Officers, Educators and students who have worked hard to make this program a success."

This collaborative partnership began in 2015 at Lee Arrendale State Prison and has since expanded to Burruss Correctional Training Center and Phillips State Prison. The program provides offenders an individualized, self-paced learning environment that delivers coursework based on mastery learning and is facilitated by accredited teachers. Since the program’s inception, 410 offenders inside Georgia state prisons have earned a High School Diploma. For more information about Foothills Charter High School please visit http://www.foothillscharter.org.

About the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) 

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 47,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 9,000 employees. For more information on the GDC, call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.