The YMCA of Metro Atlanta has launched a new scholarship program that recognizes young leaders across its numerous centers.

The scholarships, totaling $14,000, are awarded to YMCA-employed teens who have demonstrated exceptional service, leadership and community involvement, said a press release.

They are funded through the Schoen Foundation Scholarship Endowment, which invested $1 million to establish the initiative, with additional support from The Chick-fil-A Foundation and the Robert F. Wharton Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Receiving the inaugural award was Decatur resident Joi Ector (Southern University and A&M College student and graduate of Southwest DeKalb High School), who was named the “2025 Teen Legacy Scholar” for her work at the East Lake Family YMCA.

Nicknamed the “Y Legend,” Ector is renowned for establishing several programs, mentoring youth in her community, along with advocating for education equity and food security through the Children’s Defense Fund.

The other two recipients announced were Melanie Harper (Marist School graduate and current University of Georgia student), who spent more than six years volunteering and working at the Cowart Family YMCA and Camp High Harbour in various roles, as well as Enesii Mwanjabala (Georgia Connections Academy graduate and student at Georgia Gwinnett College), Georgia’s state representative for the YMCA Youth Advocate Program who worked with members of Congress on issues such as youth development and health equity.

“This scholarship recognizes teens who live out the values at the heart of our mission,” said Lauren Koontz, president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. “These young leaders give back to their communities, lead with character and approach challenges with determination and compassion.”

The scholarship program was introduced during the YMCA of Metro Atlanta’s annual “Leadership and Legacy” event.

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Atlanta Public Schools confirmed that a fight broke out in the school’s cafeteria.

Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes obtained video of the fight, showing two teen boys getting physical with each other.

In the video, you see one of the teens holding a pair of scissors in their hand. Moments later, you see the other teen with a bloodied face.

“One student sustained an injury involving a pair of scissors. School staff responded to secure the area, ensure the safety of all students, and provide care to the injured student, who is currently being treated at a local hospital,” APS said in a statement. “This was an isolated incident involving only the two students. No other students were involved, and there is no ongoing threat to students or staff.”

Follow WSBTV.com for updates.

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State senators on the special committee studying the impacts of social media and artificial intelligence on children said they will file bipartisan legislation to regulate tech use in schools. 

Senators on the committee said they will recommend extending the state’s cellphone ban to high school students, limiting the use of AI in schools to administrative tasks only, and strengthening recess and learning through play recommendations. 

State Sen. Ed Setzler said the regulations would help parents.

“The best we have among us feel powerless in the face of the conditions that exist today in our culture,” he said. “To do nothing about that, to turn a blind eye to that, is to be derelict in our duties.”

State Sen. Sally Harrell, the co-chair of the committee, said that legislation will also include regulations around technology that makes video games addictive. 

“They’re fighting a losing battle because what these the products these children are using are so incredibly addictive that if you try to intervene as a parent it causes all kinds of issues between the child parent relationship that can get quite painful,” she said. 

Senators also discussed privacy laws around social media and AI. They’re recommending legislation to minimize how technology companies can use minors’ data, and prohibit them from using minors’ geolocation data. 

Regulating AI chat bots was another top priority, senators said. They plan to recommend that minors be unable to access chatbots, and they want stronger privacy laws about using someone’s likeness in an AI chatbot. 

Committee members also discussed an idea that would link children’s phones with their parents’ phones, requiring the child to get parental approval before opening an app. 

Senators can introduce the legislation in January at the start of the legislative session.

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DeKalb County School District officials will meet with principals about proper protocol around ICE raids after community members voiced concerns about immigration protocols at a DeKalb County meeting.

During a Dec. 8 DeKalb County School Board meeting, several people spoke out about issues with protecting children and their families in the case of illegal ICE raids. The topic arose after reports that administrators at Doraville’s Sequoyah Middle School advised teachers to remain silent and avoid sharing resources about immigration with families.

Nadia Behizadeh, a member of the National Council of Teachers of English, was the last speaker of the night to denounce Sequoyah’s reported handling of the ICE raids that are affecting many families in the district. A teacher reportedly told Behizadeh that the help hotline for families with questions about ICE had been removed from the school’s website and teachers were instructed not to talk about ICE. The middle school serves more than 1,600 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in Doraville.

“They were told to focus only on teaching content, and part of the rationale to not talk about what is happening in the community was that talking about ICE was making students feel anxious and unsafe,” Behizadeh said.  “I’m extremely concerned that administrators in a mostly Latino-serving school are misplacing the source of anxiety and harm onto the discussion of the ICE raids instead of placing that squarely where it belongs, on the violent ICE raids themselves.”

In a 2025 publication in the Journal of Community Psychology, Emily Lemon and colleagues found that Latinx youth are experiencing emotional harm from spaces that erase their culture, experiences, and struggles.

Miguel Cano, a student at nearby Chamblee High School, also spoke about the dangers of avoiding a topic that he and other DeKalb County students are grappling with along with their typical academic pressures. 

“All I ask is for you to ensure teachers’ ability to support students and to show them how to protect their rights, because at the end of the day, this problem was made by adults, and children shouldn’t suffer for their actions,” Cano said.

Bridgette Allen, area middle schools superintendent, issued an apology to the families about what she describes as a “school meeting related to immigration, ICE agents, and raids.”

 “We apologize if these discussions caused any unnecessary concern for you or your family,” Allen said in a statement. “District leadership is actively reviewing the nature of these discussions, and we will inform you if any new information becomes available.”

On Dec. 10, the district sent a letter to all district families and staff noting that leadership is reviewing the federal developments, monitoring guidance from state and federal agencies, and ensuring schools have the most current and accurate information. Currently, ICE has not made contact with any DeKalb County Schools, Norman Sauce, interim superintendent, said in a statement.

“We are meeting with principals this week to review district protocols,” Sauce said. “Our school staff is aware that all teaching and discussions must align to Georgia K-12 Standards. Staff have also been reminded that if immigration authorities arrive at a school, they must be directed to the school administrator, who will immediately notify the DCSD Police Department and document the visit.”

In the letter, Sauce encouraged students to speak with their school counselors if they need support.

Camila Chiquiza, a Sequoyah Middle alum who also spoke at the board meeting, said the dangers affecting students calls for a broader revision of protocols related to immigration.

“We are in a crisis. Students and family members are being kidnapped and sent to inhumane detention centers where many have died or disappeared to never be heard from again,” Chiquiza said. “It’s imperative for the school district to revise its protocol and adjust to the dangers affecting our students. The school staff must be aware of the steps to follow if ICE breaks the law, as they often do.”

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DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson has appointed Gregory Padrick as chief of police.

Padrick has served the DeKalb County Police Department for 28 years, according to the announcement made on Dec. 10. Since February, Padrick had served as interim police chief after former chief Mirtha Ramos, DeKalb’s first female and longest serving police chief in over 20 years, stepped down.

“Join us in celebrating the appointment of Gregory Padrick as DeKalb County’s new Chief of Police,” Cochran-Johnson said in a statement. “We look forward to his leadership and commitment to public safety as we continue moving our county forward.”

Earlier this year, Cochran-Johnson held a press conference about her plans to invest $10 million in recruitment efforts after the police department had lost hundreds of officers. During the February conference, she noted that staffing was down to 531 officers, and the department needed to have about 1,100.

During a November public safety meeting, Padrick shared that the county invested $8 million in E-911 upgrades to provide state-of-the-art call-taking and dispatching, which has improved the county’s overall on-site call response times by more than 21 percent in eight months. 

Padrick, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and FBI National Academy graduate, previously held key roles across the Uniform Division and Criminal Investigation Division, rising from patrol officer to commander in both areas. His experience spans homicide, auto theft, narcotics, HIDTA, intelligence, and major case investigations, as well as roles in Internal Affairs and the Office of the Chief. 

“I am deeply honored to continue serving the residents of DeKalb County,” Padrick said in a statement. “Our department is filled with exceptional professionals, and I look forward to strengthening public trust, enhancing safety, and advancing innovative policing.”

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