Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale with teacher of the year recipients Jamiliah Weathersby (L) of East Cobb Middle School and Evan Howard of Mabry Middle School.
The Cobb County School District gathered school-level teacher of the year honorees this week at Wheeler High School for a celebration.
The event took place in Wildcat Arena, as students from some of the schools cheered on the teachers in a pep-rally format.
They included Karen Wright, the Cobb school district’s teacher of the year, from Big Shanty Elementary School.
Here are the individual teachers of the year from schools in East Cobb:
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Cobb government this afternoon said water service is out temporarily in some neighborhoods in East Cobb along Johnson Ferry Road due to emergency repairs.
The neighborhoods include River Hill, below Lower Roswell and near Powers Road.
There was no estimate for when water service may be restored to the area, but the message from the county said “water crews are working to make repairs as fast as possible.”
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How many times has a first responder positively impacted your life without you even realizing it? Probably more times than you can count. Recently, the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team hosted three events in one week focused on the mental health of our local heroes to thank them for their services.
On October 9th, Janice opened her office’s front doors to all Firefighters, Police, Sheriff’s Deputy, Veterans, and local community heroes alike for the semi-annual First Responders Appreciation Lunch. These heroes were hungry for barbeque and appreciation, being the largest turnout of the semi-annual lunch in five years. Sitting down with officers who put their lives on the line every day, Janice heard their stories, laughed with them, and offered the well-deserved rest from protecting our community.
Leftover sweets from the event were not wasted, instead delivered to the Cherokee County 911 center, one of the first 911 Centers in the nation to create a foundation specifically for the mental health and overall nutritionment of the dispatchers.
The Cherokee County 911 Center has even adopted an office dog, named Ruby, to help lighten the emotional weight of the difficult conversations they face daily. Emergency operators are an often neglected aspect of crisis responding, but with this 501(c)(3) foundation, the community can give back to those on call for us 24/7. GA Senator John Albers explains that other public safety offices have established foundations for officers in times of need, which is revolutionary for the holistic health of first responders.
“Let’s say a dispatcher gets cancer, this is where we can help them out personally and internally.” The foundation acknowledges a budget gap hindering the ability to rightly serve our first responders in their times of need without additional tax burdens.
Janice also interviewed U.S. Congressman Rich McCormick about the lack of first responder mental health awareness that exists at the “Fireside Chat” on October 15th.
As an ER Doctor and a U.S. Marine, Congressman McCormick has a vital perspective on the physical and mental challenges first responders face on a daily basis. Working with community members, business owners like Janice Overbeck, and a U.S. Congressman was a great start to serve our local heroes and make lasting change in Metro Atlanta. This change can take form through policy initiative, supporting foundations, or simply saying thank you to a local hero.
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Halloween really is around the corner, even if the weather feels like late summer. This weekend’s events in and around East Cobb are celebrations of the season.
They are headlined by the Boo Bash at Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road) from 11-2 on Saturday. Family-oriented fun presented by the retail center and East Cobb Church includes live music, costume party, trick or treating and all kinds of roaming entertainment. It’s free to all.
If you still want more Halloween fun, there will be a Trunk or Treat from 3-5 Saturday at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection (4814 Paper Mill Road) that’s also free and open to the public. In addition to decorated trunks, there will be games, candy, and kid-friendly spooky tunes on the church’s organ and piano.
On Friday, you’re invited to a Hispanic Heritage Festival from 4:30-6 in the courtyard at Walton High School (1590 Bill Murdock Road). Organized by the Walton Spanish Club, festivities include performances, cuisines, and booths, exhibiting different Hispanic countries. Admission is $5, payable in cash at the door.
Gorgeous weather is in store all weekend, including Sunday’s Music in the Park xoncert from 4-6 at East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road). It’s the last of the fall concert series, and features students from the Bach to Rock music school.
You can bring food and drink, a blanket and chairs and enjoy the sounds from the back concert shell.
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Cobb Police said Tuesday said they’re continuing to investigate the death of a man in a house fire in Northeast Cobb last week.
Police said Kevin Huff, 66, was found deceased when first responders arrived at the scene of the fire in the 4700 block of Jamerson Forest Circle on Friday night.
According to police, Cobb Fire and Emergency Services arrived at the scene, as did the Cobb Medical Examiner’s Office, and investigators found “no obvious signs of foul play.”
But the police Major Crimes Investigation Unit is conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire.
According to Cobb property tax records, Huff was the owner of the home in question, which was located in a neighborhood off Jamerson Road and near Kell High School.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Cobb Police at 770-499-3945.
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Linda Agnello dropping off donated quilts and other items at a quilting shop in North Carolina.
The East Cobb Quilters’ Guild is holding its annual community service meeting Friday at the Catholic Church of St. Ann (4905 Roswell Road), and will be announcing that more than 3,500 quilts and other items will be donated to local charities and organizations.
As this was being planned, Hurricane Helene swept through the North Carolina mountains, causing massive devastation.
Here’s how a local couple responded to help those in need in that hard-hit area, and in particular a sister quilting guild in Asheville:
“Imagine setting up our quilt show, expecting the show to open the next morning. Instead, you awake to widespread devastation for miles around. That was the reality for the Asheville Quilt Guild on September 26 when Hurricane Helene left its mark.
“Steve and Linda Agnello have been in touch with the Asheville quilt show chair. Her request was not for donations for the Guild, which she believes will be fine. The guild wants contributions ‘to go to help the people in the area, NOT [the] guild.’
“The Asheville Guild extends thanks for your care and concern. Please remember that recovery will be an extended process for the region and the people living there.
“Help is also needed here in Georgia and in our surrounding states. There are many fine organizations delivering much-needed help. One organization with a wide reach is the United Way. Online donations can be made here. You can select the state to which your funds will be sent.
“Donations of finished quilts will be collected at the October meeting. Steve and Linda will collect and arrange delivery of quilts to a quilt store or other agency in the area that is distributing quilts to those people most affected by Helene.”
If you want to help, click here for information on how to donate to the Western North Carolina area. There are links for financial contributions and information on how to donate quilts.
Here’s a brief rundown of some of the local donations to be made at Friday’s event:
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – Bereavement Diapers, Scent Pads
Northside Hospital – Scent Pads
Cobb Schools Homeless Education Program – Flannel Blankets
Cobb County Meals on Wheels – Placemats
Ryan’s Case for Smiles – Pillowcases
Cobb Division of Family & Children Services – Quilts
Cobb Family Advocacy Center – Quilts
Barbara Crafton Center for Women at the Extension – Quilts
Quilts Across American with Tiny Stitches Quilt Shop – Quilts
For more on the East Cobb Quilters’ Guild community service work, click here.
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Georgia’s largest Veteran Resource Fair will take place in less than ten days at the Cobb County Civic Center. Please take a moment and share this reminder with everyone you know.
What: Free benefit and resource fair for all currently and previously serving Veterans, families, National Guard, Reservists, Caregivers, and Survivors. Over 100 professional, vetted organizations will be on hand to answer questions and help get you the benefits you earned and the respect you deserve. The VA and GA Dept. of Veteran Services will be on hand to enroll you into VA healthcare, submit claims, file appeals, and more!
Frequently Asked Questions?
A. Admission and parking price?
Both admission and parking are free. All services are free to include free haircuts, eye exams, and lunch as supplies last. There is no selling or requests for donations.
B. Must the Veteran live in Cobb County?
All Veterans and service members regardless of where they live are invited to attend.
C. Do I need to make an appointment?
You do not need to make an appointment with any VA or GA Dept. of Veteran Services personnel. Veterans will be seen on a first come first served basis. You do need to make an appointment for legal assistance which can be done by clicking here for free estate planning (will, power of attorney, and advanced health care directive) and clicking here for an appointment with Veteran Attorneys to discuss appeals or denied claims.
D. Can families of service members or Veterans attend?
Absolutely! Join us to better understand what benefits your family or Veteran are eligible for to include aging benefits.
E. Is the Fair for current or recent Veterans only?
All Veterans who wore the cloth of the United States of America, regardless of wartime or peace time service are encouraged to attend to learn about the latest new benefits.
F. Is there anyone I can call if I have questions?
Yes! Please feel free to contact United Military Care at 770-973-0014 or email us at info@unitedmilitarycare.org – we are here to help.
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To his patients in and around East Cobb, he’s Dr. Brian Nadolne. But in Kosovo this spring and summer, Lt. Col. Brian Nadolne served with the 48th Brigade of the Georgia National Guard.
Dr. Nadolne was part of a U.S.-led NATO group at Camp Bondsteel, teaching fellow medical professionals.
“It was overall a good experience, and I think I represented Northside really well,” he said. “I think the mission, which is basically to maintain peace there, was a huge success.”
“I said, ‘What else is there? What else can I do?’” He got his answer with the Georgia National Guard, where he found a leadership position that gave him the chance to represent fellow physicians.
“They needed family docs especially,” he said. “I joined and then in ’19 I was deployed to Iraq. I was in Camp Al Asad for three months and then a couple of years later, they needed me to go to Kosovo.”
While Dr. Nadolne was at Al Asad, the airbase sustained a ballistic missile strike in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike five days earlier that killed Iraq Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds force.
More than 100 troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries as a result.
“That was scary,” Dr. Nadolne said. “We always had our weapons with us. That was a much different deployment. We were always under threat of trauma.
“Even though it was a combat mission (to Kosovo), there was never really threat of combat.”
At Bondsteel, Dr. Nadolne taught search-and-rescue operations and the importance of speaking to patients.
“Don’t just jump to technology,” he said. “Technology’s important but I think there’s an overreliance on it.”
And he said there are lessons in return for the American medical professionals who go overseas with the military, like him.
“I think Army medical in general teaches you to think outside the box,” Dr. Nadolne said. “God forbid we have a major problem here, like a terrorist attack, you already have doctors in the Georgia National Guard that are already doing a lot of field medicine, how to deal with triaging.
“It kind of keeps you on your toes, with the importance of the true practice of medicine.”
Dr. Nadolne also served as the de facto brigade surgeon for troops in the Balkans.
“That was really nice,” he said. “Here, back at the 48th, I had been a battalion surgeon back in Cumming. Now I’m going to be the brigade surgeon out of Macon. My role’s going to change to be a little more operational.”
Outside his Guard service, Dr. Nadolne sees patients at the practice at 1121 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 100, in Marietta. He’s accepting new patients.
He thanked Dr. Amy Fallen and Rebecca Davis, CNP, for helping carry the load at home in his absence, as well as office manager Shalonda Burks and the East Cobb Family Medicine staff.
And Dr. Nadolne said Northside was supportive of his service.
“While I was gone, I nominated Steve Hudson (Northside’s director of physician and strategic development) for a Patriot Award,” Dr. Nadolne said. “I nominated him because I could not have done this without Steve Hudson. He supported me. He’s a former Marine. He supported me 100 percent, which means Northside supports me 100 percent.”
Dr. Nadolne said his work with the Guard is about more than seeing patients, but about serving Georgia.
“I feel like I represent Northside when I’m out there,” he said, “and I mean it.
“Because I treat patients like that, we’ve had a large influx of patients who’ve come because they’ve gotten to know me at the battalion level. I could not have done it without Northside and Steve Hudson.”
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Cobb commissioners on Tuesday heard about proposed code changes regarding secondary housing units on residential properties.
At a work session, Cobb officials presented language that would create accessory dwelling units (or ADUs) that could be built in a residential backyard (you can read the proposal here).
The small units—of up to 850 square feet, with a limi of one unit per lot—are seen as a way to provide more affordable housing.
Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said that ADUs wouldn’t be a “panacea,” but what’s been proposed, she added, “are lower-bar considerations for addressing housing affordability in Cobb County.”
The proposed code changes also would alter the definition of a family, permitting up to three unrelated adults (the current limit is two) and up to six children.
The proposed Cobb ordinance would require an ADU to be permanently structured and hooked up to utilities serving the primary home. It could be detached, but it must be in a backyard area only.
The property owner also must live on the premises and the smaller unit could not be used as a short-term rental. An ADU must meet existing setback and impervious surface limits
In addition, a homeowner wishing to add an ADU would have to obtain a special-land use permit from the county, according to a revision that went out to commissioners on Monday.
Another measure would increase the maximum parking for five cars (currently limited to four) in a driveway or garage and another vehicle off-street.
But Republican commissioners JoAnn Birrell and Keli Gambrill questioned much of the language in the proposal as well as the the number of unrelated adults and vehicles on a single property.
They reflected concerns that the single-family nature of many areas of the county would be dramatically altered with ADUs.
The current code allows for such home renovations as in-law suites and converting basements into separate living units that must be permitted by the county.
The proposed code amendments are set for public hearings and possible approval in November, but Gambrill wants the county to hold off for “at least the next year” to allow homeowners associations the time to sort through how restrictive covenants may for such purposes be conflict with ADUs.
There also are issues over whether a property with an ADU would be able to claim a second homestead exemption from property taxes.
Birrell, whose District 3 in East Cobb is heavily single-family residential, called the proposal “a bad idea to do, period. We’ve been flooded with e-mails in opposition. I’m glad we’re having this discussion today but I think a lot of the perception may be wore than it is. I’m not supporting this. It doesn’t make sense.
“If somebody wants to add on to their home, they can do that now,” she said. “We get zonings all the time that are way too dense, have 10 variances, and they could still get approved.”
Gambrill, who represents District 1 in north and west Cobb, added that “a statistic was given to me that 85 percent of eligible properties for these ADUs” are in Districts 1 and 3.
Commissioner Jerica Richardson of East Cobb, who recently had a baby, was not present at the work session.
Commissioner Monique Sheffield of South Cobb said that “I appreciate that we’re having this conversation” and she also has heard from constituents concerned about the proposal.
“The belief is that we’re going to create rental units behind single-family residences,” she said. “This is not that. Hopefully the perception and the understanding will be different.”
Cupid said that “I understand the concerns but I don’t perceive the need to wait for a whole year to get some answers on some things.
“The way that people are living is changing, and housing affordability is changing,” she said. “This is one tool and I don’t know how robust of a tool this is compared to other tools.
“You keep several tools available because at some point in time one of them may be helpful for us wanting to fix something. The thing we’re trying to fix is providing places for people to reasonably live in our county.”
The hearings for the proposed code amendments are scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 12 and 6 p.m. on Nov. 21, with tentative approval scheduled for the 7 p.m. voting meeting on Nov. 21.
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Former Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott, who has rarely commented publicly on county government and politics since he left office in 2021, is speaking out against the proposed 30-year transit tax referendum.
Last week he said submitted a lengthy letter expressing his opposition to the tax to the Marietta Daily Journal, but released it elsewhere after he was told it wouldn’t be published until Saturday.
“That’s like 50,00 voters from now,” Ott told the East Cobb News on Monday, as the second week of early voting is underway in Cobb County for the 2024 general election.
East Cobb News separately obtained a copy of the letter (you can read it in full here), which closes with him saying that the tax is “a bad idea and needs to be defeated.”
A retired Delta Air Lines pilot, Ott said he’s contributed to a Vote No on M-SPLOST group started by former Cobb Chamber of Commerce leader John Loud.
Ott, a Republican from East Cobb who served District 2 from 2009-2020, said in the letter than in addition to the 30-year duration of what’s being called the Cobb Mobility SPLOST (“think about that for a moment; your middle schooler would be in their mid 40s at the end of the tax’), the tax isn’t a Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax, such as the county and Cobb County School District have for shorter periods for specific construction and maintenance purposes.
“Many will remember my numerous NO votes for previous SPLOST proposals because I felt that the project list was mostly wants and not needs,” Ott wrote. “In most cases there wasn’t anything special about the projects, they were just other ways to spend money. This proposal is a long way from the intent of a SPLOST.”
He said that one of the differences is that if the referendum is approved, a new regional transit authority, ATL, would have to approve transit projects in Cobb. “The majority of the ATL committee members are not from Cobb. So how are they going to know what is in the best interest for Cobb related to transit related projects?”
He said the biggest need in Cobb is transportation between the Cumberland area and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, but the transit tax “is silent on any links.”
Other needed transportation projects include widening Roswell Road east from Johnson Ferry Road to the Fulton County line, but it doesn’t “need a 30-year tax to be completed.
“A proper review of county needs vs wants is needed long before giving the county and the commissioners any more of our hard-earned money.”
Ott said it’s hard to look into a crystal ball and envision future needs for the current six-year Cobb SPLOST, which was approved two years in advance, much less three decades.
Like other transit tax opponents, Ott said the low ridership figures in general don’t warrant such a lengthy, broad-based solution to transportation issues.
“Here in East Cobb and many other suburban parts of the county, transit and transportation must compete with the car to be remotely successful,” he wrote. “This transit tax is just like many of the others; it can’t compete.”
The proposed transit tax would restore a little-used bus route in East Cobb that was axed by commissioners during the recession.
Ott told East Cobb News that he tried to get the bus stops along that route on Roswell Road removed, but they continue to generate local advertising revenue.
“I don’t think ridership will improve” if that route comes back, he said. “Transit in Cobb is all about will it compete with the car? It really doesn’t.”
Ott told East Cobb News that when he left office (see our Dec. 2020 interview), he was retiring from politics for good, and wanted to follow the example of former President George W. Bush by staying out of the public spotlight.
“I’ve been trying to do the same thing,” Ott said.
But in addition to his concerns about the tax, he said former constituents and others have been asking him about it.
“I’ve heard from a lot of people who say that they don’t know about it,” Ott said.
Ott, who lives in District 3, represented by Republican JoAnn Birrell, said he was approached about running for commission chair, but declined.
“I’m done with politics,” he said.
Since his departure, Cobb has gone from solidly Republican to having a 3-2 Democratic majority on the commission.
In addition, Cobb countywide office-holders are all Democrats, with one exception (State Court Clerk Robin Bishop).
When asked if a Republican can win countywide office anytime soon, Ott said “I’m not going to speculate.”
But he said that “our elections have turned away from the issues” and have become “character assassinations” that ignore what candidates stand for.
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The ADUs as proposed (draft amendment here) could house up to three unrelated adults and up to six children, as well as maximum parking for five cars in a driveway or garage and another vehicle off-street.
Unlike “tiny houses,” which are mobile, the ADUs under the proposed Cobb ordinance would be required to be permanently structured and hooked up to utilities serving the primary home.
The property owner also must live on the premises and the smaller unit could not be used as a short-term rental.
The ADU proposal is meant to address housing affordability issues, but few local jurisdictions allow them, and
The work session begins at 1:30 Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).
There is no public comment period; the full agenda can be found by clicking here.
Other code amendments to be presented include proposed changes regarding film permits (economic development), alcoholic beverage licenses, the county plumbing code, land disturbance activities, door-to-door sales permits, subdivision plats and sewer and wastewater approvals.
The hearings are scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 12 and 6 p.m. on Nov. 21, with tentative approval scheduled for the 7 p.m. voting meeting on Nov. 21.
Commissioners typically hear code amendments in January and September, but the county hasn’t said why they’re coming up now.
You also can watch the work session on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
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Commissioner Richardson invites you to attend the 2024 Cobb Cybersecurity Day on October 25, 2024!
Cobb County Government is committed to serving the community, which is why we are hosting this event to empower individuals with the knowledge they need to protect themselves online. Ever heard of “social engineering”? It’s a tactic used by cybercriminals that exploits human psychology rather than technical hacking. Being aware of these tactics can help you recognize and avoid potential threats!
The 2024 Cobb Cybersecurity Day will be held on Friday, Oct. 25 from 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM at 1150 Powder Springs Street.
Cybersecurity awareness can save you money! A data breach can cost individuals thousands of dollars in recovery costs. Educating yourself about online safety can help you avoid these expenses.
This year’s event will feature industry-leading speakers, interactive presentations, and discussions on cyber safety for both organizations and individuals.
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!
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!
The Tim D. Lee Senior Center has had the highest turnout in the first week of early voting in Cobb.
Saturday’s early voting is continuing as we write this, but according to Cobb Elections the first four days of early voting brought more than 80,000 people to the polls.
That’s coming as the Georgia Secretary of State’s office announced more than 1 million people have voted early in the first few days across the state.
Voting continues from Sunday 12-5, but at limited locations. The East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) will be among them.
All early voting spots will be open from 7-7 next Monday through Saturday; you can check estimated wait-times by clicking here.
The East Cobb Government Service Center also has a drop box for absentee ballots that is open during early voting hours.
According to the latest update, 84,234 votes have been cast in Cobb, most of them in-person. A total of 3,2100 or so absentee ballots have been returned, out of more than 24,000 issued and 1,000 or so have been accepted.
Here are the individual breakdowns through Friday at each of the early voting locations.
For more early voting information in Cobb, click here. Voters must bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls (click here for details).
The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is Oct. 25. You can get an application online from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office by clicking here.
To check your voter registration status, and to get a customized sample ballot, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.
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Indian summer-like weather has returned to the Cobb area for the latter part of October, and for the final two weeks of Daylight Saving Time.
We’ve gone from having a freeze advisory during the week to highs in the low 70s on Saturday.
Starting today, plenty of sunshine is expected throughout the coming week and temperatures will be reaching into the 70s and beyond.
The extended forecast of the National Weather Service in Atlanta is projecting highs in the mid-to-high 70s for at least the next week.
And the cooler temperatures we’ve been experiencing at night in recent days also will be going up, with overnight lows ranging from the high 40s to the mid 50s.
Winds also are expected be low during this period, and humidity levels also have been tapering off.
As we head into Standard Time, sunsets will gradually be getting earlier.
In the last week or so official sunsets have been at around 7:30 p.m. or so. They’re projected to be around 7 p.m. from now on, until Standard Time returns on Nov. 3.
Sunrise times are roughly between 7:30-8 a.m.
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“An off-the-shelf solution won’t work” when it comes to school safety, Cobb school board members were told Thursday.
A group of private high-tech professionals with experience in military and national security operations has conducted safety assessments at three schools in the Cobb County School District and will eventually do the same for other schools.
That’s according to Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who on Thursday announced a new “partnership” with a company that signals “a new era” in an effort to become more proactive about school safety.
He did not identify the schools, nor did he name those doing the assessments.
“Although they were impressed with our schools’ preparedness, they identified safety solutions that could be employed and tailored specifically for each Cobb school,” the district said in a statement issued later Thursday.
Nor did Ragsdale say how much that partnership will cost, but that “local funds are available” that have previously been secured and that there is state funding for school security and safety efforts that he could explain in executive session.
In the wake of a fatal mass-shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Cobb and other school districts have been responding to increased concerns about safety and in particular the presence of guns on school campuses.
Ragsdale said the intelligence operations will supplement, and not replace, existing safety measures headlined by the Cobb Shield program and that feature regular Code Red drills.
The Cobb school district spends around $35 million a year for safety and security measures, mostly with its police department of 85 officers.
“No price is too high to protect students and staff,” he said.
Since the Apalachee shootings, threats have been made at a number of Cobb schools, including Walton High School and Dickerson Middle School, but the district said there have been no active threats on campuses.
The safety presentation Ragsdale promised in September took place at a Cobb Board of Education meeting Thursday night and featured four individuals with intelligence expertise.
A private intelligence company will be conducting security assessments across the Cobb school district.
Citing security concerns, they also used only their first names when explaining an overview of the services that will be provided in an ongoing relationship.
“It’s a process, not a product,” Ragsdale said of the district’s work with the intelligence company.
It’s a multi-level process that involves collecting intelligence information on potentially threatening individuals, including using counterintelligence techniques, making a “socio-cognitive” analysis of behavioral risks as well as employing data science and machine-learning components.
The intelligence company was co-founded by a former Navy SEAL, who led the presentation, along with a former federal counterintelligence officer, a cognitive scientist and a data scientist.
To view following slides that were presented to the school board Thursday, click the middle button.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The intelligence officials focused on proactive strategies that are designed to help students, teachers, staff and parents detect trouble before it arises.
A woman who told school board members she has been a counterintelligence agent supporting the Federal Bureau of Investigation explained 16 safety indicators that will be employed “to help equip school officials to stop these threats themselves.”
Another woman summarized data science and machine-learning elements that provide real-time risk monitoring indicators.
And “Robert,” a cognitive scientist, laid out strategies to identify psychological, cultural and social drivers behind potentially threatening behavior.
Counterintelligence strategies are designed “to help equip school officials to stop these threats themselves.”
When asked by school board member Becky Sayler how these measures would involve community, he responded that they were designed to identify “early on where support is needed and then work with stakeholders to get those kids the support they need.”
When school board member Brad Wheeler asked “What can parents do?” Ragsdale responded that “parents need to know the warning signs . . . . but we’re educators. We don’t know how to spot the warning signs.”
The monitoring would include, but not be limited to, scraping social media data “to customize a solution for the community,” he said.
“One school will be different from the others.”
“Rob,” the intelligence company CEO, explained that the crux of his company’s work is to customize down to the school level, since every campus has different layouts, entry points and logistics, as well as socio-cultural dynamics.
“If you have seen one school, you have seen only one school,” he said. “An off-the-shelf solution will not work.”
He also said that “over the past months, our work has put Cobb County on the forefront of school safety in the state of Georgia and on a national level.”
Ragsdale said the next steps are to identify “the next set of schools” to undergo security assessments, but a timetable wasn’t mentioned.
“Our parents have to know that when they bring their kids to school, they’re safe,” Ragsdale said.
Taking additional steps to enhance safety by working with those whose expertise is beyond what Cobb currently provides is the only option, he said.
“It’s not needed, it’s required, if we want to maintain student and staff safety. This is not a proof of concept. This is our partnership, and we’re looking forward to a long relationship.”
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The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday approved a policy revision for graduation procedures involving special-needs students.
The new policy was spurred following the exclusion of several Sprayberry High School seniors from graduation ceremonies in May.
They received their diplomas in advance and were forced to wait in a hallway and were escorted out of the Kennesaw State University Convocation Center before the event had concluded.
The parent of one of the students, Ashlynn Rich, publicly complained and Superintendent Chris Ragsdale offered a formal apology in June.
The Cobb County School District said the problem was not over policy, but due to an employee decision to separate the special-needs students from the rest of their classmates.
Ragsdale said that the new process will “[ensure] there are no misunderstandings, and no employee is making a decision without the clear input of a parent or guardian of a student with an exceptionality.”
Rich, who has Down’s Syndrome, was an honor student and varsity athlete at Sprayberry and also spoke to the school board in June protesting what happened to her.
“Graduation is a special moment and I wanted to share it with my friends, just like everyone else,” she said. “I don’t want any other student to go through what I did.”
The updated policy provisions call for all students to have a graduation participation plan, and for parental consent/approval before graduation takes place:
“All students who have met requirements for graduation will be provided the 30 opportunity to fully participate in the school commencement, regardless of any 31 temporary or permanent impairment or disability. If an impairment or disability 32 exists, the parent/guardian shall be provided with options for the student to 33 participate in the least restrictive manner possible.”
1. Participation Plan:
a. Each student with a temporary or permanent impairment or disability shall 36 have a participation plan including details about where the student will be 37 seated, and accommodation(s) required.
b. Parents/guardians shall be provided a copy of the participation plan and 39 sign/approve the plan prior to the commencement ceremony.
2. Communication:
a. Parents/guardians shall be provided information regarding venue 42 accommodations prior to the ceremony.
b. Information regarding accessing the venue, including information about 44 accessible parking areas and routes from the parking lot to the seating area 45 shall be provided to parents/guardians.
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Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said Thursday that six more books have been removed from library shelves and curriculum lists because of sexually explicit content.
It’s the second month in a row that many titles have been removed as the district continues and ongoing process of flagging materials that are explicit, lewd, obscene, vulgar, or otherwise inappropriate for minors.
The count is up to 32 books that have been removed, out more than a million titles circulating within the Cobb school district.
The latest books that have been removed altogether are:
“The Summer of Owen Todd,” by Tony Abbott
“More Happy Than Not,” by Adam Silvera
“This Book is Gay,” by Juno Dawson
“We Know It Was You,” by Maggie Thrash
“The Sun and Her Flowers,” by Rupi Kaur
“City of Saints and Thieves,” by Natalie Anderson
“This is not a book ban,” Ragsdale said, referencing critics who have been making that claim since the removals began last year (his full remarks here).
He repeated concerns about parental rights and said that educators “do not want to be on the front lines of the culture wars and do not want to use their classrooms and instructional time to promote a social activists’ agenda that has not nothing to do with instruction.”
Ragsdale said that position is consistent with the Cobb school district’s deference to parents on COVID-19 matters, including masks and vaccines.
“Not only is protecting students from sexually explicit content the best—the only—decision, it also protects decisions which should be made at home by parents.”
Most of his broadsides were leveled at parents he said were claiming book bans for political reasons. Ragsdale urged those opposing the removals to read the books.
“No matter your decision, our board has and continues to hold me accountable to the teaching of your children while you raise your family.
“We will continue to focus on that education. A focus that ensures that the education we provide is the best in metro Atlanta, but is consistently recognized as one of the best in the nation.”
An independent group of parents has compiled a list of the removed books in Cobb and placed in the Books In Schools website.
“Our mission is to provide clear and comprehensive reviews of book content, focusing on areas of concern such as profanity, nudity, and sexual content,” the group claimed on its site, but didn’t identify any individuals.
“We aim to make these reviews accessible to all parents, empowering them to make informed decisions about the books their children read.”
At Thursday’s Cobb school board meetings, none of those critics spoke during public comment, but a local representative of Gays Against Groomers spoke in support of the book removals.
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Starting on Monday and continuing through early December, Davis Road in Northeast Cobb will be closed to through-traffic between Holly Springs Road and Shallowford Road.
Cobb DOT said Thursday that a pipeline rehabilitation project will close Davis Road completely between Stillbrook Pass and Running Cedar Drive, but that local traffic will be able to navigate around the closures (see map above).
“This project is essential to make repairs to the corrugated metal pipes that cross underneath Davis Road and stabilize the existing slope,” a Cobb DOT social media message said.
Cobb DOT said the anticipated completion of the project is Dec. 4, but weather and other factors could affect the timeline.
For more information and updates about road closures in Cobb County, visit cobbcommute.org.
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