January 2021

Cobb and Douglas Public Health ‘pausing’ COVID-19 vaccines

January 30, 2021 3:40 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb health director COVID vaccines — *Cobb and Douglas Public Health director Dr. Janet Memark.*

Due to a shortage of COVID-19 vaccine supplies, Cobb and Douglas Public Health said Friday it is temporarily “pausing” appointments for the public.

Since early January, the health agency had been releasing appointment slots each Friday for the following week, prioritizing health care workers, first responders and people ages 65 and older.

But the latest update, which didn’t specify when vaccinations might resume, indicated that current supplies may not increase until March or April.

In a message on its website, Cobb and Douglas Public Health also said that those who have a previously scheduled appointment for a first or second dose “will not be affected by this change unless you have been contacted.”

The agency said that when more appointments become available, they will be posted on its website and social media accounts.

In its status update on Friday—you can read through it by clicking here—Cobb and Douglas Public Health said it has administered 14,000 doses of the COVID vaccines since early January, including 11,896 at Jim Miller Park in Marietta.

But only 410 doses were given at Jim Miller on Friday, down from nearly 700 that had been distributed on Monday. That figure was provided in a briefing Tuesday to Cobb commissioners by Cobb and Douglas Public Health director Dr. Janet Memark.

In her remarks, Memark said the agency was “prioritizing second doses” and that “if we have some extra we’ll schedule a first dose.”

But as the week continued the available vaccine doses began running out.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are being given by Cobb and Douglas Public Health, which is hopeful that it soon will get supplies of the Astra Zeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccines. The latter is a single-dose vaccine.

As of Saturday there have been 50,173 confirmed COVID cases in Cobb County from PCR tests and 11,923 more from antigen tests since last March.

A total of 693 have died in Cobb since that time, and 38 have been reported since Monday. Those include 13 deaths reported on Wednesday and 12 on Thursday.

The case rate is starting to drop slightly in Cobb, as are the community spread figures. As of Saturday, the 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people in the county is 661, after surpassing 1,000 earlier this month.

Earlier this week Cobb and metro-Atlanta school board members and superintendents sent letters to Gov. Brian Kemp asking for school staff to be prioritized for vaccines, but on Tuesday his spokesman said that Kemp “has repeatedly stated—as recently as today—that as soon as Georgia begins to receive increased vaccine supply, teachers and school staff will absolutely be included in any expanded criteria.”

Cobb schools revise quarantine guidance for close contacts

January 29, 2021 1:53 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb County School District is reducing the quarantine period for asymptomatic staff and students who are considered “close contacts” of those with COVID-19 from 14 to 10 days, effective Monday.

In a statement issued Friday, the district said the decision was based on guidance from Dr. Janet Memark, the director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health.

What that means is that individuals who show no symptoms after 10 days of isolation and who have not been tested can return to school.

You can read the full statement by clicking here; the district noted that the Centers for Disease Control is still recommending 14-day quarantine period for asymptomatic people exposed to those with COVID-19 “to be safe.”

The district statement said that if an asymptomatic person experiences even one symptom of fever, chills, shortness of breath, coughing or loss of taste and smell and two symptoms from the following conditions: sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, extreme fatigue, a severe or very bad headache, new nasal congestion or a stuffy or runny nose, they should follow symptomatic guidance.

Cobb schools returned to classes this week after going all-virtual the week before, due to what the district said were high COVID case counts and high numbers of students and staff being out due to quarantine.

Also on Friday the district updated its weekly COVID case totals to include 384 new cases for the past week. Since last July 1 there have been 3,168 confirmed cases of the virus, with the vast majority coming since students returned to campuses in October.

The Cobb school district does not break down the number of students and staff who get COVID, nor does it disclose how many individuals are out due to quarantine.

Earlier this week three Cobb school board members sent a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp asking for teachers to be prioritized for the COVID vaccine, and two days later Cobb superintendent Chris Ragsdale joined other metro Atlanta superintendents in asking for the same.

But Kemp’s spokesman said there aren’t enough vaccines as it is for the current phase, which includes seniors and first responders.

At an emotional Cobb school board meeting last week, following the deaths of three of their colleagues, teachers asked to remain all-remote or to allow teachers with health issues to teach from home.

Since in-person classes resumed in October, teachers have been required to teach from their schools.

East Cobb food scores: Five Guys; Derek’s Cafe; Karachi Broast

January 29, 2021 2:14 PMJanuary 29, 2021 10:08 AM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb Five Guys

The following East Cobb food scores from Jan. 11-29 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Boston Market
2014 Powers Ferry Road
January 20, 2021 Score: 80, Grade: B

Derek’s Cafe
1779 Canton Road
January 12, 2021 Score: 84, Grade: B

Five Guys
4269 Roswell Road, Building 200
January 29, 2021 Score: 95, Grade: A

Judy’s Country Kitchen
2745 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 106
January 29, 2021 Score: 81, Grade: B

Karachi Broast & Grill
1475 Terrell Mill Road, Suite 110
January 25, 2021 Score: 88, Grade: B

Zaxby’s
2080 Lower Roswell Road
January 12, 2021 Score: 91, Grade: A

Waffle House
621 Johnson Ferry Road
January 25, 2021 Score: 82, Grade: B

Wheeler student expanding virtual outreach tutoring program

January 28, 2021 2:27 PM by Wendy Parker

Wheeler student virtual tutoring program — *Wheeler senior Ishaan Chaubey in a tutoring session with a student from India.*

Wheeler High School senior Ishaan Chaubey began what he calls the Virtual Outreach Tutoring (VOT) program at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, and is looking to expand the program to help fellow students on a longer-term basis.

He wrote in to explain how VOT—website link here—developed, who’s been involved, and what’s next for the organization:

In March of 2020, after my school had become fully virtual, I saw that many of my peers were struggling in their academics due to the huge transition from in-person learning to a virtual learning setting. As a tutor for an after-school club before COVID-19, I also wondered how those students, who had struggled in their everyday academics, were coping with this new learning method as well.

One night, in a video call with friends, many of them complained that the mass-cancellation of so much in the community had eliminated any opportunity for their community service requirements. Hence, I decided to create an organization named Virtual Outreach Tutoring (VOT), which would provide free virtual tutoring to all elementary, middle, and high school students in a wide variety of subjects and also give high school students several opportunities for community service.

Currently, the VOT administrative team consists of myself, Jahnvi Bhagat (Senior at Wheeler High School) who is the lead administrator for Wheeler High School tutors, Rohan Mathur (Senior at Campbell High School) who is the lead administrator for Campbell High School tutors, Yasmin Sharifian (Senior at Lassiter High School) who is the lead administrator for tutors from Lassiter and other United States schools, and Jack Turbush (Senior at Wheeler High School) who helps in designing various promotional flyers for VOT. As for the number of tutors in our organization, we have approximately 120 tutors who help students in various subjects.

Today, my service initiative has greatly expanded, and my team and I have been able to help over 150 students across the United States and some from India and Germany. This initiative has also acquired significant recognition that it was recently featured on the Cobb County School District website and made an official tutoring option in the CCSD. In addition, various honor societies such as the Wheeler National Honor Society and the Campbell Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society have decided to make our virtual tutoring organization their official tutoring option.

Furthermore, with the help of several nonprofit organizations such as the United Way of Greater Atlanta, this virtual tutoring initiative has also inspired students to join as tutors from different states, such as New York, Texas, Florida, and Virginia, to help their communities. Today, along with providing free virtual tutoring, my team and I have conducted several Group AP Review sessions in the spring of 2020, aided students in SAT/ACT preparation, and produced a virtual musical performance to recognize the hard-work of healthcare workers fighting against COVID-19 for the AG Rhodes Health and Rehab Center in Marietta, Georgia.

For the production of the virtual musical performance, my team consisted of Charles Yu (Editor), Keaton Kotarba (Editor), Joseph Nguyen (Performer- Violin), Hannah Lee (Performer- Violin), and myself (Performer- Piano).

As time progresses, my team and I plan to continue this successful service initiative into college, and we also plan to appoint a new administrative team to lead and manage the tutoring service at the school level after our graduation. Finally, our collective vision for VOT is to remain persistent in helping numerous students by further expanding this initiative across the world and ensuring that each student has the necessary resources to genuinely succeed in their academic endeavor.

Ishaan says students at any level can get tutoring from VOT by going to the website, and that’s where any interested potential tutors can also sign up.

*Hannah Lee working with a student in Marietta.*

*A VOT group review session for AP chemistry.*

Johnson Ferry-Shallowford zoning case subject of town hall

January 30, 2021 5:41 PMJanuary 28, 2021 10:10 AM by Wendy Parker

Johnson Ferry-Shallowford proposal

Following up a story we’ve been reporting since the fall, about the proposed mixed-use development at the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection:

Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson and Cobb Planning Commission member Tony Waybright are having a virtual town hall next week to hear from the public about Z-72-2020.

The town hall meeting is set for Thursday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. and is free for the public to attend.

The February zoning files indicate that Z-72, which was continued from November, will not be heard on Tuesday before the Cobb Planning Commission. The case is being continued again, likely until March.

The development would be anchored by what’s being called East Cobb Church, townhomes and retail on 33 acres. The Cobb Zoning Office has initially recommended denial based on traffic and density concerns.

The church would seat up to 1,300 have four stories and a parking deck, while 125 townhomes are being planned.

The church would be part of the Alpharetta-based North Point Church. Since early last year, East Cobb Church has been formed and is holding services at Eastside Baptist Church.

The land is owned by prominent attorney Fred Hanna and his wife’s outreach ministry, and which they tried to assemble for a residential project in 2016 that was withdrawn.

This will be the first major zoning case in District 2 for Richardson, who succeeded now-retired commissioner Bob Ott this month. Cobb doesn’t hold zoning hearings in January.

If you want to sign up for the town hall you can do so by clicking here. Richardson’s office will send out an e-mail prior to the meeting with a link to the event and information on the meeting structure.

For questions and information contact Allie Korucu, Richardson’s assistant: aliye.korucu@cobbcounty.org.

East Cobb church issues ‘For Our Teachers’ COVID pledge

January 27, 2021 3:48 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb UMC

An East Cobb church that’s been a site for COVID testing in recent weeks posted a message Wednesday urging support for teachers and efforts to reduce the spread of the virus.

On its social media channels, East Cobb United Methodist Church called for a “For Our Teachers” initiative following the deaths of three Cobb school teachers.

Last Thursday, nearly 100 teachers protested outside Cobb Board of Education meetings to demand all-virtual learning. Last week the district went fully remote but this week returned to face-to-face instruction.

A school employee chided two board members and Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale to wear masks during an emotionally-charged public comment period.

The board did not discuss COVID response at those meetings and Ragsdale only briefly mentioned the dead teachers by name during those meetings. Neither he nor board members David Banks and David Chastain of East Cobb put on masks.

Following “the blatant disrespect for teachers’ health and safety at last week’s school board meeting, silence for us is no longer an option,” said the East Cobb UMC message, which continues:

For our teachers, we listen.

They are saying this is the “craziest, most difficult, most frustrating school year” of their careers, and they feel “unsupported and unacknowledged” (a direct quote from a long-time county educator).

For our teachers, we pray.

We ask God to grant all educators the strength and perseverance needed during this difficult year.

For our teachers, we give thanks.

Thank you for the endless hours you have spent reworking the curriculum to fit modified and hybrid classrooms. Thank you for the extra time spent scrubbing desks and sanitizing markers. Your care and creativity do not go unnoticed.

For our teachers, we wear a mask.

Not just once-and-awhile, but every time we leave the house. We must #StopTheSpread.

For our teachers, we get the vaccine when we can.

Ultimately, this is the only way the dreadful pandemic will ever end.

For our teachers, we advocate.

We will contact our school board representatives and implore them to take the same actions we pledge to take.

For our teachers, we do better.

After all, our children would not have an education if it was not… For Our Teachers.

Add the “For Our Teachers” frame to your profile picture and join us in solidarity with educators everywhere: https://tinyurl.com/xz1n4lp2

Along with this, we invite you to post a tangible way you will support teachers in your community. You may model ours or create one of your own. #ForOurTeachers

In November, East Cobb UMC became a pop-up site for COVID testing by a private company, and that part of the church parking lot has been busy ever since. The public can drive up without an appointment to get a test. There are no out-of-pocket costs and insurance is accepted.

On Monday three Cobb school board members signed a letter sent to Gov. Brian Kemp demanding more safety measures at schools, including prioritizing vaccines for teachers.

On Wednesday, the Cobb school district announced that Ragsdale had signed a similar letter from metro Atlanta superintendents.

Cobb superintendent wants teachers prioritized for COVID vaccine

January 28, 2021 1:21 PMJanuary 27, 2021 12:08 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb school superintendent honored

Two days after three Cobb school board members asked Gov. Brian Kemp for teachers and school staff to be placed in a higher priority group for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, the Cobb school superintendent has done the same.

Chris Ragsdale signed a letter sent Tuesday by metro Atlanta superintendents to request that teachers and other school employees be added to the 1A category—the highest in the tiered vaccination system being rolled out by the Georgia Department of Public Health.

“The longer we delay in vaccinating our teachers and school staff, the more we risk having to close our doors once again,” the superintendents wrote in the letter, which you can read in full here. “The educators in our districts have given tirelessly in time, effort, and dedication, especially during the pandemic; we ask you to recognize their value and importance to our communities and our state.”

The other superintendents signing the letter include those from the Atlanta, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Marietta school districts.

Three teachers in the Cobb school district have died from COVID since Christmas, including two on Thursday. The same day, the Cobb school board met but was silent on the matter, despite hearing emotional pleas from protesting teachers to go to all-remote instruction.

Ragsdale briefly mentioned the dead teachers by name but did not discuss COVID response, and when a board member tried to ask him about it, he was cut off by the chairman.

In a release sent out by the Cobb County School District Wednesday, Ragsdale said that “I, along with other superintendents, have been advocating for our employees with decision-makers for some time now. The letter was simply a culmination of our efforts to get access to the vaccine for educators. We all understand the most extreme hurdle for us to overcome is the quantity of vaccine available to be administered.”

Vaccine recipients in the 1A category include frontline medical and health-care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.

This is the third week that people in the 1A+ category—first responders and citizens age 65 and older—have been able to get vaccinations.

But the supplies have been severely limited and many older people have expressed frustrations with an online appointment booking website that has crashed, or that shows no vaccination slots available.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health is vaccinating around 700 people a day, six days a week and is asking for public patience as they try to get more vaccine supplies.

In Georgia, only 80,000 vaccines are being distributed a week to around 2,000 public and private providers.

On Tuesday, Kemp announced the state will be getting an additional 25,000 vaccine doses a week from the federal government.

Kemp spokesman Cody Hall issued a message via Twitter later Tuesday saying there is “a simple math problem” and said there isn’t enough vaccine for 400,000 teachers.

“These superintendents should explain which currently eligible population should be, in their view, sent to the back of the line for vaccination. Seniors? Healthcare workers? First responders and law enforcement?

“The Governor has repeatedly stated—as recently as today—that as soon as Georgia begins to receive increased vaccine supply, teachers and school staff will absolutely be included in any expanded criteria.”

The Cobb school district release said that the school system “would continue to offer choice for as long as it was feasible.”

Nearly two-thirds of Cobb’s 107,000 enrolled students are attending class in person for the spring semester that began Jan. 6. Last week, students worked remotely due to high COVID case numbers and students and staff being out due to quarantine.

Classes resumed in-person Monday. The district has said there would be another period for parents to choose face-to-face or remote instruction for the rest of the spring semester, but it has not announced when that will be.

Planning Commission member from East Cobb dies from COVID

January 27, 2021 2:38 PMJanuary 27, 2021 9:30 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Planning Commission member Judy Williams died Monday from COVID-19, according to Cobb commissioners who announced her death at their meeting on Tuesday. Cobb Planning Commission Chairwoman Judy Williams

Williams was appointed by Commissioner JoAnn Birrell from District 3, which includes Northeast Cobb, and had served as the five-member board chair for two years until last year.

“We lost a great public servant and a true friend,” Birrell said in remarks at the end of Tuesday’s meeting. “She was my rock.”

The commissioners also held a moment of silence for Williams.

Williams was a lifelong Cobb resident who graduated from Marietta High School and was a planner for Cobb County government from 1972 until her retirement in 2000. According to her obituary, one of the first projects she signed off on was the creation of Indian Hills in East Cobb.

Williams later returned to serve on both the planning board and the zoning appeals board.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday will be limited to family only but can be viewed on the Mayes Ward Dobbins website.

Contributions in Williams’ memory can be made to the Wellstar Foundation.

The Cobb Planning Commission is scheduled to meet Tuesday to hear the first zoning cases in 2021.

Golden K Kiwanis members replace flag at Canton Road restaurant

January 27, 2021 2:48 PMJanuary 26, 2021 3:24 PM by Wendy Parker

Golden K Kiwanis Club — *From L to R: Maz Islam , owner of the Windy City Grill US Flag Canon and Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K members Margy Rogers, Jim Farley, Mike Kaplan and Jan Williams.*

The Kiwanas Club of Marietta Golden K branch—which is made up of retirees and is based at the Tim D. Lee Senior Center in East Cobb—has had many virtual and Zoom meetings in recent months due to COVID-19.

After one such recent meeting, several of the members met for an outdoor lunch at the Windy City Grill on Canton Road. The group is called the “lunch bunch” and Golden K publicity volunteer John Kone relays what happened next:

While having lunch, Kiwanis Club member Jan Williams noticed that the US flag being flown was in a “rough and tattered” shape. It was old and needed to be replaced. She obtained a new flag from US Flag Maker Inc., which was later presented to Maz Islam, owner of the Windy City Grill.

Jan requested just one thing, “I just want the ‘canon’ from the old one.” The canon is the blue part of the flag with the stars on it. “I am what is known as a ‘star maker’ … I cut out the stars from the old flag and then, the stars are presented to US vererans. The rest of the flag is given to the Scouts for proper disposal”, she added.

So, next time you stop by for something to eat at Windy City Grill, rest assured that the previously flown old “Old Glory” has now been replaced with a new “Old Glory.”

Golden K Kiwanis Club

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Cobb school board members ask Kemp for COVID safety measures

January 26, 2021 3:42 PMJanuary 25, 2021 2:48 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb school board COVID safety letter — *Jaha Howard*

Three members of the Cobb Board of Education have signed a letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp asking him to prioritize teacher vaccinations and provide other safety measures related to COVID-19.

The letter was written by Cobb school board member Jaha Howard and signed by Charisse Davis and Tre’ Hutchins, as well as 10 other school board members from other metro Atlanta school districts, including Atlanta, DeKalb, Clayton and Gwinnett.

The letter, which was dated Sunday, mentions two teacher deaths in the Cobb County School District last week, and said that “we stand as champions for the men and women who dedicate their lives to educating our students.”

In addition to prioritizing vaccines, the signatories are asking for medical grade face masks be provided for every school staff member and for the state to “collect and review anonymous COVID-related feedback from public education staff.”

The letter comes after the Cobb school board last week announced that two elementary school teachers died after being hospitalized with COVID and pneumonia.

They were Dana Johnson of Kemp Elementary School and Cynthia Lindsey, a paraprofessional at Sedalia Park Elementary School.

Their deaths prompted a protest by more than 100 teachers outside the Cobb school district offices Thursday during school board meetings.

Several of them addressed the board, demanding all-remote learning due to high COVID case counts and teacher absences.

The board didn’t discuss COVID during their meetings, and when Howard asked Superintendent Chris Ragsdale to comment, he declined. When Howard pressed him for an answer, board chairman Randy Scamihorn cut him off.

Among those addressing the board was a school counselor who asked Ragsdale and two board members not wearing masks—David Banks and David Chastain of East Cobb—to wear them in honor of Patrick Key.

He was an art teacher at Hendricks Elementary School who died of COVID on Christmas Day.

But Ragsdale, Chastain and Banks did not put on masks, and the incident has made national headlines.

Face-to-face classes resumed in Cobb on Monday, after all instruction was remote in the school district last week.

During that week, however, the Cobb school district reported 383 new COVID-19 cases. They include 13 active cases each at Dickerson Middle School and Pope High School, 11 at Lassiter High School , 10 at Walton High School and 9 at Bells Ferry Elementary School.

You can read the board members’ letter to Kemp by clicking here.

Drive-through food pantry relocated to Cobb Civic Center

January 25, 2021 2:13 PMJanuary 25, 2021 11:03 AM by Wendy Parker

Since the summer the Atlanta Community Food Bank has coordinated a drive-through food pantry at the Stratton Library in Marietta. This coming Wednesday, that’s going to take place at the Cobb Civic Center (548 South Marietta Parkway), and is being organized by the Cobb Public Library system and the Cobb Parks and Recreation department and other county agencies

The hours are from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (or while supplies last), and anyone who drives up gets a package of up to 20 pounds of produce and shelf-stable items on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cobb Civic Center drive through pantry

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Cobb DA’s office supports new expungement help desk for courts

January 25, 2021 1:09 PMJanuary 25, 2021 9:59 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information: Cobb courts expungement desk

Cobb District Attorney Flynn D. Broady Jr. is proud to announce his support of a new Expungement Help Desk, in partnership with the Georgia Justice Project and other Cobb County offices and departments.

The Expungement Desk is expected to be established later this year and housed in the Circuit Defender’s Office. Lawyers and volunteers trained by the nonprofit Georgia Justice Project will assist eligible individuals in getting their criminal records expunged as Georgia law allows. Cobb’s Expungement Desk will be the first of its kind in Georgia.

“This is justice in action,” DA Broady said. “Removing barriers that keep nonviolent people from being productive members of society benefits everyone.”

Georgia’s “Second Chance Law,” SB 288, took effect Jan. 1 and expands eligibility for expungement, also known as record restriction, to include many nonviolent misdemeanor convictions. Georgia law has long allowed records of misdemeanor and felony arrests that did not result in convictions to be expunged. The new law also allows for expungement of some pardoned felony convictions.

“Georgia Justice Project helps many Georgians each year with their criminal record, but we can’t do this work alone, and we do so with strong partnership support,” says Doug Ammar, Executive Director of Georgia Justice Project. “Since 4.3 million people have a Georgia criminal history, we need to find creative ways to collaborate with our local institutions to serve as many Georgians as possible. We appreciate District Attorney Broady for joining us in this effort.”

Cobb Solicitor General Barry E. Morgan added that the service provided by the Georgia Justice Project is needed.

“Prosecutors and court clerks cannot give legal advice, and many people are in limbo if they can’t afford to pay an attorney to navigate the additional, cumbersome process required for record restriction,” Morgan said. “This service will help fill a gaping hole.”

The Cobb Circuit Defender’s Office, led by Randy Harris, is also a partner on the Expungement Desk.

Georgia Justice Project has served Georgians who have been impacted by the criminal justice system for almost 35 years. Learn more at www.GJP.org.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The haunting silence of the Cobb school board

January 1, 2022 1:03 PMJanuary 23, 2021 2:18 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb school board

On the darkest day in the Cobb County School District since the COVID-19 pandemic began, neither the superintendent nor the school board had much to say about it.

As the board was in session twice Thursday for their monthly meetings, two teachers in the school district died of COVID-19.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale did mention them by name during the meetings: Dana Johnson, a first-grade teacher at Kemp Elementary School and Cynthia Lindsey, a paraprofessional at Sedalia Park Elementary School here in East Cobb.

The perfunctory “thoughts and prayers” from Ragsdale were all that were even referenced about their deaths and the district’s ongoing pandemic response.

With classes being all-virtual this week, I figured Ragsdale would provide an update. Are case numbers easing off? Is there ample staffing available for in-person learning? What about the schools that closed early last week?

It was his decision to shut down in-person learning this week due to increasing COVID cases in the schools and teachers absent due to quarantine. It has been his decision to offer parents a choice of face-to-face or remote instruction.

During these months of uncertainty, he’s explained his thinking about these matters in some detail. While not everyone has been happy with the decisions, he’s been above-board in laying out the difficult task of reopening, establishing safety protocols and providing dual learning environments.

This week, with concerns about the safety of students and staff rising along with a case count that’s higher than ever, there was nothing on the board agenda to discuss the COVID response.

Even though Dr. Janet Memark, the director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health who’s advised Ragsdale, continues to urge students and adults to stay home as much as possible.

At both school board meetings, teachers and their advocates urged that all-remote learning continue. They were mourning the loss of their colleagues, and emotions were also rising high.

Face-to-face learning resumes on Monday, and with tensions and case numbers growing, Ragsdale had nothing to say about it.

At a Thursday afternoon work session, school board member Jaha Howard wanted Ragsdale to comment on the COVID-19 situation in the schools, but board chairman Randy Scamihorn put a halt to the inquiry.

“Would you be open to a dialogue?” Howard asked Ragsdale. “There are a lot of concerns out there [from the public] and we’re about to move on.”

“That’s it,” Scamihorn said.

Scamihorn had more than the power of the gavel at his disposal. The Cobb Board of Education, at least at its public meetings, has chosen to censor itself.

In 2019, before the pandemic, the board’s Republican majority voted to ban public comments from board members at their own meetings.

It was a contentious time marked by the additions of Howard and Charisse Davis, first-term Democrats whose elections in 2018 trimmed a 6-1 GOP advantage on the school board to 4-3.

Howard in particular has ruffled feathers, sometimes eagerly so, making regular accusations about racial disparities in the district, and he has used his comment time at board meetings to denounce Republican elected officials elsewhere.

His grandstanding can be over the top, but the attempt to silence him and Davis was absurd. Partisan bickering since then has grown even worse, and members of both parties are to blame. There’s no spirit of compromise at all, even with the serious business of navigating a pandemic.

So on Thursday, we saw one board member cutting off another who wanted ask the superintendent about the most important subject in the second-largest school district in Georgia.

Board members can put items on the agenda, but a policy change pushed through last month by Scamihorn on a party-line vote now requires the approval of a board majority.

Given the deep partisan divide, anything that Howard, Davis and newly elected Democratic board member Tre’ Hutchins want to bring up needs at least one Republican vote. There’s no budging going on in the slightest.

With anxiety heightening and parents wondering how their children might be learning in the coming weeks, the public was owed much more than petty parliamentary maneuvers.

The policy to muzzle unwanted speakers and topics also stifled any comments from elected representatives to the Cobb school district about a very sad, grim day.

At the end of the public comment period Thursday night, Scamihorn thanked the speakers for being “informative and succinct,” but to paraphrase him, that was it.

On Friday, Davis offered some school-related public health guidance on her Facebook page “in the absence of ANY COVID-related discussions or presentations from the superintendent at our board meeting. . . . These are difficult times, but like many of our teachers tell their students: we can do hard things.”

While Cobb County government and public health leaders carved out dedicated time this week to help frazzled citizens navigate the COVID-19 vaccine process, the Cobb school board and superintendent offered nothing of reassurance on the one day of the month they have to come before the public.

Their silence was as damning as it was haunting.

After 2 teacher deaths, Cobb schools begged to stay remote

January 21, 2021 8:42 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb schools teacher deaths

After two of their colleagues died Thursday from COVID-19, educators in the Cobb County School District pleaded to keep classes remote.

At a Cobb Board of Education meeting Thursday night, a coordinated effort by several teachers and other district staff calling themselves members of “one team” seeking “team trust and accountability” demanded answers about the district’s response to the ongoing pandemic.

They didn’t get any.

Cynthia Lindsey, a paraprofessional at Sedalia Park Elementary School in East Cobb, and Dana Johnson, a teacher at Kemp Elementary School, died Thursday after being hospitalized with COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Cobb schools this week have reverted to remote learning, but those students who chose face-to-face learning for the spring semester are scheduled to return to their schools on Monday.

“There are a lot of people out there,” said Cobb County Association of Educators president Connie Jackson, referencing to the parking lot outside. Only one speaker at a time is allowed inside the board’s meeting room at the district office in Marietta due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“They’re mad, and they’re scared, and they’re angry, because they don’t think anybody cares,” she said.

Jackson said after the two deaths on Thursday, “this needs to be a topic for the school board. This needs to be publicly talked about . . . We need you to hear you discuss it and make us feel like it matters to you.”

But other than Superintendent Chris Ragsdale offering condolences to Lindsey, there was no discussion. Speakers at the board’s Thursday afternoon work session also asked that classes stay remote, but an attempt by board member Jaha Howard to raise the topic, and to discuss the district’s pandemic response, was cut off.

Board members are prohibited from making comments at their meetings after a 2019 policy change that Howard and member Charisse Davis said was aimed at silencing them.

The decision by Ragsdale to go remote was based, he said, on growing cases (nearly 500 across the district last week alone) and high numbers of teachers and staff in quarantine.

He didn’t say anything on Thursday about the return to face-to-face learning next week.

(You can watch replays of both of Thursday’s meetings by clicking here.)

Jennifer Susko, a counselor at Mableton Elementary School, told board members Thursday night she was offended by Ragsdale’s letter that went out to district staff on Christmas Day, when Hendricks Elementary School teacher Patrick Key became the first district in the teacher to die of COVID.

She said Ragsdale’s brief mention of Key in that message was “dismissive” and she admonished him and two board members who weren’t wearing masks. In his obituary, she said, Key had asked the public to wear masks.

“We see where your priorities are,” said Susko, who was critical of what she said was “false gratitude” for district staff.

Teacher Trish McNally asked the board to consider hiring more counselors and support staff to address social and emotional learning needs that she said should be a top priority.

As for teachers, she said, “we are burning out.”

Another educator, Justin Julian, said that teachers should have the same choices as parents and be able to teach from home.

Teachers have been required to teach at their schools, although they’ve been doing that remotely this week.

“Be the leaders who unite rather than inflame,” Julian said.

Anna Clay said that in Cobb County, “we are in a worse COVID situation than we were last week” and she doesn’t feel safe returning to school on Monday.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, there were 383 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cobb County. The 14-day average of cases per 100,000 is 867, well above the “high community spread” threshold of 100 per 100,000.

Only one speaker, Kelly Crutchfield, was in favor of keeping the face-to-face choice available.

She said that “when we suffer heartbreak, it is easy to let emotions cloud our judgments.”

She said that “schools are essential” and they “are not super spreaders” of COVID and that children are not transmitting the virus.

Forcing the entire district into all-remote learning, Crutchfield said, “is unscientific and dangerous.”

Roughly 66 percent of all Cobb students are in face-to-face learning for the spring semester that began Jan. 6.

Updated: Sedalia Park ES paraprofessional dies from COVID-19

January 21, 2021 6:58 PMJanuary 21, 2021 1:56 PM by Wendy Parker

Cynthia Lindsey, a paraprofessional at Sedalia Park Elementary School in East Cobb, died Thursday after being hospitalized for the last 11 days with COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Sedalia Park parapro COVID

According to Deborah Perdue, the co-organizer of an online fundraiser, Lindsey had been on a ventilator. The fundraising effort generated more than $10,000 goal for medical bills.

Perdue said that the money will go to pay for Lindsey’s final expenses, and that arrangements are pending.

She was the second Cobb County School District teacher to die on Thursday from COVID-19, and the third since Christmas.

Dana Johnson, a teacher at Kemp Elementary School in West Cobb, died after being in intensive care since early December with COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Patrick Key, a teacher at Hendricks Elementary School in Powder Springs, died Christmas Day after being hospitalized with COVID-19.

During a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday, and before Lindsey’s death was announced, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale referenced Johnson’s death, saying “our hearts are broken over this.”

He didn’t specify a cause of death, nor did he comment on COVID-related school safety issues raised by members of the public at the start of the meeting.

He did mention another district employee’s cause of death. Teko Browning, a football coach at Osborne High School, died in a traffic accident.

School board member Jaha Howard asked him if he would address the issue, but Ragsdale declined, and chairman Randy Scamihorn said “that’s it” since there wasn’t an item on the work session agenda specifically related to the district’s COVID response.

“There are a lot of concerns out there,” Howard said, “and we’re about to move on.”

The Cobb County School District has switched to remote learning this week due to rising COVID-19 cases.

Toward the end of last week, Simpson MS and McCleskey MS switched to all-virtual learning, and the district reported as many as 22 active cases at Lassiter High School.

There were nearly 500 new cases in the Cobb school district reported that week, but it was not disclosed how many are students and how many are teachers and other staff.

Cobb health officials ask for patience with COVID vaccine

January 20, 2021 3:26 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb health officials COVID vaccine — *Lisa Crossman, assistant director, Cobb and Douglas Public Health*

Cobb public health officials said Tuesday they understand public frustrations over distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, but asked for patience as they work to improve an online appointment booking program and to get more shipments of the vaccine.

During a virtual town hall held by Cobb County Government, Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, repeated remarks she made to county commissioners last week that “there’s not enough vaccine to meet the demand that we have.”

She also said she’s hopeful that by the time appointments for vaccines for next week are opened on Friday afternoon, that the health agency’s webpage that handles those bookings will be able to meet that high demand.

“We’re looking to move the site to another server” for appointments, she said.

(You can watch the full town hall at the bottom of this post.)

This is the second week people age 65 and older have been able to sign up for the vaccines, which are being given in a drive-through format at Jim Miller Park.

But the site crashed almost as soon as it was launched, and appointments were booked in just a matter of minutes.

In Georgia, only 80,000 vaccines are being distributed a week to a variety of public and private providers.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health has been providing several hundred vaccinations a week, with a goal of being able to get to around 1,200 or so, Memark said.

“We’re hoping that the federal government will be able to send more vaccines,” she said. “We’re doing the best we can with what we have.”

Lisa Crossman, the health agency’s assistant director, said there are 1,700 providers around the state, and urged residents to contact a variety of potential sources that may have vaccines, including their own physicians, pharmacies and employers.

Cobb residents don’t have to get a vaccine in the county, and the Georgia Department of Public Health has provided a vaccination locator that is being updated.

Phase 1A+ of the vaccine distribution in Georgia also includes caregivers of those who are 65 and older.

Memark said only one caregiver per eligible senior will be allowed to register to get the vaccine.

She also said her agency is beginning community outreach to provide vaccines for those who cannot come to Jim Miller Park, and to connect with seniors who are not Internet users.

Crossman suggested that friends and family members could help with the online appointment process, as well as provide transportation to get the vaccine.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health continues to provide COVID testing, and you’re asked to book an appointment by clicking here.

Memark said to make sure you’ve signed up for the right service, because “some people came for a vaccine when they signed up for a test.”

For both tests and vaccines, appointments are required and no walk-ups will be taken.

Crossman said there’s still a high demand for COVID tests, with the agency conducting more than 8,000 a week in both Cobb and Douglas counties.

Cobb continues to be a growing hot spot for COVID infection in Georgia, with 359 new confirmed cases on Tuesday.

The death toll also has been on a sharp rise recently in the county, with nine more deaths in Cobb reported Wednesday, for 637 overall since last March.

There have been 47 COVID deaths in January in Cobb, and Memark said this month is shaping up to be one of the deadliest months since the pandemic began.

Memark said a new variant of the virus has come to Cobb, and while it’s not considered as deadly, “it can make you sick enough. . . . We have to clamp down and do what we can until more vaccines arrive.”

She continued to encourage citizens to wash their hands and wear masks and socially-distance when in public, but to shelter-in-place as much as possible.

A second dose of the vaccine is coming for some who’ve already had an initial vaccination.

Crossman said that for those who’ve received a shot, they shouldn’t assume an instant effect.

“It takes your body a while to build up immunity,” she said, adding that depending on which vaccine people get there could be six weeks in between vaccinations.

“We don’t know if this is a vaccine that will be repeatedly yearly or if it’s going to be a one-tine thing.”

Secretary of State certifies Georgia Senate runoff results

January 19, 2021 2:03 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb precinct votes Senate runoffs

The Georgia Secretary of State’s office on Tuesday certified Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock as the winners of the Jan. 5 runoffs for the U.S. Senate.

Ossoff and Warnock are set to be sworn in in Washington on Wednesday, the same day Democratic former vice president Joe Biden takes the oath as the 46th president of the United States.

Ossoff and Warnock defeated Republican incumbent senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively, by very close margins, but not within the margin for a recount.

Ossoff received 2,269,923 votes, or 50.61 percent, to 2,214,979 votes for Perdue, or 49.39 percent, in winning a six-year term.

A former 6th Congressional District candidate, Ossoff will become Georgia’s first Jewish senator and at age 33, he will be the youngest member of the Senate.

In a special election to fill the remaining two years of former Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term, Warnock received 2,289,113 votes, or 51.04 percent, to 2,195,841 votes for Loeffler, or 48.96 percent.

The minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Warnock will become Georgia’s first black senator.

In Cobb County, Ossoff and Warnock both won with roughly 56 percent of the vote, although East Cobb voters favored Perdue and Loeffler.

The elections of Ossoff and Warnock will make the U.S. Senate 50-50 in party composition. Ties can be broken by outgoing California Sen. Kamala Harris, the vice president-elect, who will serve as the President of the Senate.

She resigned her Senate seat Monday, and Alex Padilla, a Democrat who is California’s Secretary of State, has been appointed to fill the final two years of her term.

NBC News is reporting that the new Georgia senators will be sworn in by Harris on Wednesday afternoon.

The Senate has already begun confirmation hearings for Biden cabinet appointments, and plans are tentative regarding a possible impeachment trial for outgoing President Donald Trump.

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Atlanta Jewish Film Festival to take place in hybrid format for 2021

January 17, 2021 1:45 PM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is thrilled to announce its return in 2021, a hybrid experience spanning 12 days, February 17-28.

In response to the ongoing pandemic, we’ve reimagined the annual festival to combine at-home virtual screenings with select drive-in movies, expanded conversations with filmmakers and special guests, as well as other unique components.

Our 21st edition will look and feel very different, prioritizing the safety, comfort and convenience of you, our loyal audience, above all else. What won’t change: world-class film, stimulating conversation and a celebration of diversity.

The 2021 AJFF film lineup will include over 30 narrative and documentary features plus short film offerings, representing the same breadth of genres and subjects that has become a hallmark of Atlanta’s largest film festival. Powered by CineSend, our Virtual Cinema will allow audiences to access the very best in international cinema from a smart TV, home theater, computer, tablet or other mobile device.

In addition, thanks to an exclusive partnership with Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AJFF will also offer a limited number of drive-in screenings in the 11-acre The Home Depot Backyard greenspace, a spectacular backdrop for a physically distanced but shared moviegoing experience.

Always core to the festival’s mission of fostering dialogue, AJFF will continue its commitment to community conversation with enhanced guest programming, including speaker introductions and extensive Q&A panels that further explore the themes and topics presented on screen.

As stated by Executive Director Kenny Blank, “Cinematic stories feed the soul at a time when we need the help of film artists to make sense of our world, to be inspired, and to reignite our shared sense of humanity. Our festival staff and volunteers have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure the core tenets of the festival – community, representation, storytelling and experience – are preserved in our 2021 hybrid edition. It’s gratifying to see that, despite the pandemic, the pipeline of new films on Jewish themes is as strong as ever. We look forward to being ‘together through film’ in February, our motto for these COVID times.”

Additional details on films, virtual screenings, programming, and drive-in dates to come soon.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb government to hold virtual town hall for COVID vaccines

January 16, 2021 3:06 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb COVID vaccine town hall — *Mohammed Hisamuddin and Farhat Hisamuddin, the in-laws of East Cobb resident Qamar Hisamuddin, got COVID vaccines from Cobb and Douglas Public Health.*

We continue to get many questions from readers about their frustrations booking appointments for the COVID vaccines being offered by Cobb and Douglas Public Health.

Shortly after 5 p.m. Friday, when next week’s appointments were released, they were already filled.

On Saturday morning Cobb County government sent a message saying that it’s holding a virtual town hall meeting on Tuesday with health department leaders to answer the public’s questions about the vaccinations and appointments.

That town hall starts at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 19, and you can watch live at at facebook.com/cobbcountygovernment or youtube.com/cobbcountygovt.

You’re also invited to send questions in advance to comments@cobbcounty.org.

The current phase of testing is for health care workers, first responders and people 65 and older, and it’s the latter group we’re hearing from most of all.

People are frustrated that the server for the appointment page is down—it’s been crashing all week—or when they’re able to get through, there are no more bookings available.

As we posted earlier this week, Cobb and Douglas Public Health is taking appointments a week at a time, based on vaccine ability.

A few comments we got Friday night:

Please take care of these older people! The website is the only way and it is constantly jammed.

I have tried all day every day for last 2 weeks when vaccine became available and have not been able to get through. I am 82 and been praying every day as I am doing what I should ie wearing Masks, staying mostly home and am scared due to very high people in hospital with COVID.

On Tuesday, Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, admitted that “there are just not enough vaccines” to meet the heavy demand.

Late Friday afternoon, she said there only 80,000 vaccinations available a week to providers throughout Georgia.

“Our bi-weekly talks with the Georgia Department of Health reveal that they are actively working on plans to further increase the number of providers able to offer vaccinations including large retailers like Wal-Mart and Kroger,” she said. “Although it is difficult to hear as this pandemic wears on, we urge patience to allow more providers to come online to offer the vaccination.”

She said growing COVID case numbers “is an additional concern to an already dire situation.” In the last two weeks, there have been more than 10,000 PCR and antigen cases in Cobb and Douglas counties, with the highest levels of hospitalization yet during the pandemic, which is in its 11th month.

Nearly 500 cases also were reported this week in the Cobb County School District, which is going fully remote next week.

Memark said that while “we are all fatigued and stressed by the effects of this year-long pandemic . . . the vaccine is here and will be distributed faster and faster. We must all do what we can to give this plan time to work. The cases are exceptionally high right now. We will be feeling the effects of holiday gatherings. We urge all citizens to do what needs to be done to control the pandemic. Try your best to not leave your homes unless you absolutely have to leave. Try to telework when you can. Try not to gather with those outside of our households. Wear your masks in public. Wash your hands frequently. Do not leave your homes if you have COVID-19 or are in close contact with someone who had it.

“Working together as a community is the only way we will beat this pandemic.”

Cobb to hold virtual Martin Luther King Jr. event on Monday

January 16, 2021 2:28 PMJanuary 16, 2021 10:22 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb MLK virtual event

From Cobb County Government:

All Cobb County Government offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 18, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Although our annual celebration of his life and works will look different this year, we encourage you to enjoy our virtual event, in partnership with the Cobb NAACP.

It will be held live on the county’s Facebook page, facebook.com/cobbcountygovernment, at 10 a.m., Monday, Jan. 18. For more information, click here.

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