East Cobb Schools

Cobb schools COVID update: 21 active cases at McCleskey MS

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There are 21 current active cases of COVID-19 that have been reported at McCleskey Middle School in Northeast Cobb, according to Cobb County School District data.Cobb County School District, Cobb schools dual enrollment summit

That’s the highest number of active cases at a particular school in the district, which began its spring semester on Thursday.

However, several other schools in East Cobb also have double-digit active case numbers, and the district on Tuesday said several other schools were going to all-virtual instruction for the rest of the week.

The district previously had reported only cumulative case numbers at each school. Now, the active number of cases is included in its weekly update, which is posted every Friday.

In that update are 351 new cases in the Cobb school district, and there have been 1,200 since Dec. 4. Since last July 1, when the Cobb school district began reporting COVID cases, there have been 1,921, but they are not broken down between students and staff.

North Cobb High School has 17 active cases, there are 14 at Awtrey Middle School, 12 at Lassiter High School, 11 at Walton High School and 10 at Kell High School.

In addition, there are 8 active cases each at Bells Ferry Elementary School and Wheeler High School.

The return to classrooms comes after a Cobb school district teacher died of COVID on Christmas Day, and as an online petition was formed to urge Cobb to go online-only, as is the case in other metro Atlanta school districts.

Cobb Board of Education member Jaha Howard posted a message on his Facebook page early Tuesday afternoon that the entire district was moving to all-virtual for the rest of the week.

But that was later corrected to report that Hillgrove High School, Nickajack Elementary School, Clay Harmony Leland Elementary School, Barber Middle School and Lindley Middle School will be going all-remote.

A Cobb school district spokeswoman did not respond to specific questions from East Cobb News about the active case numbers at McCleskey and other schools, and whether they were being considered for possible all-remote instruction. Here’s her statement:

“As part of our ongoing commitment to student and staff safety and based on student, staff, and school needs, the District is making school-by-school closing decisions on an individual basis.

“Despite social media posts to the contrary, the District is NOT transitioning to remote learning and remains committed to face-to-face and remote classroom options for students and parents.

“We are committed to announcing any future closings as soon as decisions are made. Cobb Schools continues to partner with the Cobb & Douglas Public Health Department to make decisions concerning our district’s response to the pandemic. Whether face-to-face or in fully remote classrooms, Cobb teachers will continue to teach, and students will continue to learn, from everywhere.”

At a Tuesday meeting of the Cobb Board of Commissioners, Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, said that parents who are “able to have your children go virtual at this point [if] this is something that if you can do it, it is recommended.”

The Cobb school district spokeswoman said that Memark has not recommended that Cobb schools go all-virtual.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, Cobb’s community spread data reached new heights on Tuesday, with a 14-day average of 923 cases per 100,000 people.

Another 427 cases were reported in Cobb on Tuesday, following a single-day record of 96 last Thursday.

The Cobb school district said another “choice window” for parents to choose face-to-face or remote learning options will be announced during mid-semester, but no dates have been announced.

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Cobb school board swears in members; elects 2021 officers

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David Banks, Cobb school board member
David Banks was sworn in for his fourth term representing the Pope and Lassiter clusters on the Cobb Board of Education.

During a brief and unusually uneventful organizational meeting Thursday, the Cobb Board of Education elected officers for 2021 and four newly elected members were sworn in.

The seven-member board also passed its 2021 meeting calendar unanimously.

The board has a 4-3 Republican majority, and that majority voted along partisan lines for third-term member Randy Scamihorn to serve as chairman, and David Banks of East Cobb to serve as vice chairman.

Their duties include presiding over board meetings and representing the board in an official capacity.

Scamihorn, whose Post 1 includes the Allatoona, Kennesaw Mountain and North Cobb high school clusters, was re-elected in November.

Banks, who represents the Pope and Lassiter clusters, is beginning his fourth term and his second year in a row as vice chairman. Banks, Scamihorn, outgoing chairman Brad Wheeler and new member Tre’ Hutchins were sworn in individually before the board elections.

For the third consecutive year, Democrat Charisse Davis of the Walton and Wheeler clusters was nominated for board chair, but failed to gain a majority in a party-line vote.

Hutchins, of South Cobb, was nominated for vice chair, but only gained the votes of his two fellow Democrats. Before graduating from Pebblebrook High School, he attended Brumby Elementary School.

Unlike the two previous years, there were no discussions about the board elections, although Davis and Democrat Jaha Howard asked to give comments. They were turned down by Wheeler.

In November, Howard accused the Republican members of “systemic racism” for voting to abolish a committee to examine school name change policy and to require a board majority for members to place items on meeting agendas.

He and Davis have protested repeatedly in their two years in office that the GOP members are trying to silence them. In 2019, the Republican majority also voted to bar members from making comments during board meetings.

Later Thursday, Davis posted a response on her Facebook page:

“It was pretty obvious that the superintendent didn’t want Brad Wheeler to allow a request I made for chair nominees to make some remarks. Why bother? They already knew they had the votes to make Randy Scamihorn, chair and David Banks, vice chair.

“While this is my 3rd time being nominated and subsequently not receiving the support of the board majority, we nominated our newest board member, Leroy Tre’ Hutchins (a former student of Mr. Wheeler) for vice chair. But the board majority chose Mr. Banks, again. This is just getting silly at this point.

“If I had been allowed to make my remarks, I would have said:

“Cobb is a large and diverse school district and all of our board posts have their own distinct character and needs. Sharing leadership opportunities strengthens our board, and subsequently, the district. I do not believe it best serves the district to recycle leadership opportunities amongst the same couple of people.

“Regarding my experience, I taught for 15 years as both a classroom teacher and media specialist and have a Specialist in Education degree in Media with a focus on Instructional Technology. I have two sons that attend our schools and so have been a very committed school volunteer serving on PTA, parent foundations, and local school councils. I am entering my 3rd year as a board member, and while my experience might be questioned, I will remind everyone again that there have been board members, including Mr. Scamihorn, who became chair in their very first term or served without any experience in education.

“Much of this was included in an email I sent to the entire board before the chair vote in 2020, and I never received a response from any members of the board majority. Keep in mind it’s not a requirement that anyone have any teaching experience or anything when seeking the chair or vice chair positions, but Brad Wheeler told me in 2019, I ‘don’t have the experience.’ “

The board holds its first work session and business meeting of the new year on Jan. 21.

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Cobb schools return amid COVID-19 spread, teacher’s death

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The Cobb County School District spring semester begins Wednesday with community spread of COVID-19 continuing to grow, along with safety concerns following the death of a teacher over the holidays.Campbell High School lockdown

Wednesday’s start to the new semester will be like other Wednesdays during the current school year—a remote learning day—followed by face-to-face classes starting on Thursday for parents who chose that option for their children.

The final two days of the fall semester ended online-only as the “community spread” metric for COVID-19 in Cobb County reached its highest point—a 14-day average of more than 600 cases per 100,000 people—and has continued to rise since then.

As of Tuesday, that figure was 727 per 100,000, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. “High community spread” is anything more than an average of 100 cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period.

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

In a message sent out to district parents and staff following his death, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said that “I am asking for you to maintain your commitment to your students in a very actionable way.”

He said the district “will continue to take every possible step to keep our hallways safe, our classrooms healthy and our schools open both remotely and face-to-face.”

But a group of parents has begun an online petition requesting an all-online return for the start of the spring semester, saying the conditions at schools are not safe for anyone.

That petition has more than 4,000 signatures, including Karin Lefler of East Cobb, who told East Cobb News that going virtual is needed “in order to save lives and teachers’ jobs.”

The community spread figure was one of nine points made in the petition, along with reduced local hospital capacity, risk of transmission from students to staff and the arrival of vaccines.

“Cobb schools are just not safe enough as it relates to Covid,” the petition states.

The Cobb school district has prepared a daily wellbeing checklist for parents regarding symptoms, contacts and other health measures.

A slight majority of Cobb school parents have chosen the face-to-face option for the spring semester, and Ragsdale has said there may be another choice window for parents over the winter.

For the six months from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2020, there were 1,570 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Cobb school district among students and staff, with 1,283 coming after a phased-in return to face-to-face classes began in October.

Those cases weren’t broken down further, and the district has not provided information on how many more individuals had to undergo quarantine due to exposure or possible exposure to someone with the virus.

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Top East Cobb 2020 stories: Cobb schools go virtual as board feuds

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Cobb school board anti-racism resolution delayed

For several months after the Cobb County School District shut down in March due to COVID-19, the Cobb Board of Education conducted public meetings via Zoom.

It didn’t reduce some existing disagreements among school board members on a number of issues, and the feuding got worse, including over pandemic response.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced in July that the school year would start online-only. It didn’t require a board vote.

But the decision set in motion many public conversations before and by the board and elsewhere during the fall semester, which gradually went to optional face-to-face learning before concluding in virtual format only due to rising COVID-19 community spread.

After the George Floyd death in May, the school board was among many elected bodies around the country in drafting an anti-racism resolution. The Cobb Board of Commissioners approved such a measure in June.

But after three attempts, the seven-member school board could not come to a unanimous approval on language in the resolution.

Black Democratic board members Charisse Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters, and Jaha Howard of the Campbell and Osborne clusters, insisted on wording that the Cobb school district has had a history of “systemic racism.”

White Republicans David Banks and Randy Scamihorn objected, and said they wouldn’t support a resolution with that language.

As the year wore on, the racial and partisan divide on the board grew larger.

In an October East Cobb News candidate profile, Banks accused Davis and Howard of “trying to make race an issue where it has never been before.” He also said the Cobb school district’s biggest long-term challenge is avoiding the “white flight” of other metro Atlanta school districts.

Davis fired back, charging Banks of “spewing racist trash” and recounting Cobb’s history of segregated schools well into the 1960s.

Banks won a fourth term in November, and Scamihorn and chairman Brad Wheeler were also re-elected, preserving a 4-3 Republican school board majority for the next two years.

A few weeks later that same majority angered Davis and Howard by abolishing a newly formed committee to examine school naming policies.

The committee was to have considered such matters as an ongoing effort to rename Wheeler High School, named after a Confederate general (Davis signed that petition).

Howard, who began taking a knee during the Pledge of Allegiance when the board resumed in-person meetings in September, accused his Republican colleagues of “systemic racism.”

The four Republicans also voted to require a board majority for board members to place items on meeting agendas.

“What are you afraid of?” Davis asked her colleagues before the vote, which went 4-2.

Howard said the matter was no different than when the Republican majority voted in 2019 to prevent board members from offering comments during board meetings.

In December, the board bickered over a $12 million request from Ragsdale to purchase sanitizing products for elementary schools. The four Republicans voted in favor, but Davis and Howard said that was a lot of money to spend on a proof-of-concept basis and that there’s no evidence the new equipment is effective.

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Top East Cobb 2020 stories: Wheeler HS name change petition

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Wheeler name change

Within days of one another in June, online petitions were created to change the name of Wheeler and Walton high schools due to their namesakes.

As East Cobb News first reported, the efforts were begun by students and others in the East Cobb school communities in the wake of the George Floyd killing that set off racial protests around the country.

George Walton was one of Georgia’s signers of the Declaration of Independence, served in Congress, and was a governor and chief justice of Georgia.

The Walton petition was started by a student there, Joseph Fisher, who said that Walton also was a slave owner.

“Every day that I am on campus I feel hate and oppression from the student body and the administration,” Fisher said. “I am constantly gaslighted and singled out for my experiences as a person of color, made fun of or the subject of jokes based on the color of my skin.”

But it has been at Wheeler that a more concerted effort to change the school name developed through the fall.

Wheeler was named after Joseph Wheeler, a Southern general in the Civil War who later was readmitted to the U.S. Army, served in Congress and is one of the few Confederate officers buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Wheeler was for many years a nearly all-white school, but is now one of the most diverse in the Cobb school district. Georgia Department of Education figures from March showed that Wheeler had 811 black students out of a total enrollment of 2,159.

An online petition and a student group have noted the timing of the Cobb Board of Education’s decision in 1964 in naming a new high school in East Cobb after Wheeler, just as local schools were desegregated.

“I’m not sure if we’ll ever find out what was behind this,” 2015 Wheeler graduate Matthew Coffin told the current Cobb school board this month. “But I’m embarrassed by the name.”

A name change, he said, “will allow us to confront our painful past instead of ignoring it.”

The name change petition also has been signed by current school board member Charisse Davis, an African-American who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters.

Another Wheeler graduate began an online petition to keep the Wheeler name in response.

Joseph Wheeler served the Confederacy for four years in his mid 20s,” wrote an unnamed signee to that petition. “He then spent the rest of his life serving his country on the right side of history. We have so few examples of leaders atoning for their past actions. Joseph Wheeler should be celebrated, particularly in this time of partisan politics.”

There doesn’t figure to be any action soon on any name change. In November the school board’s Republican majority reversed a vote to create a special committee to examine name change issues, prompting Davis and Jaha Howard, a fellow black Democratic member, to accuse their colleagues of “systemic racism.”

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East Cobb teachers receive holiday ‘Gift Blitz’ surprises

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East Cobb teachers holiday 'Gift Blitz'
Kristin Muller of Shallowford Falls ES gets a visit from the Ed Voyles Automotive Group.

Before the fall semester wrapped up last week, several teachers in the Cobb County School District got personal surprise gifts and visits from members of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and other business and community leaders.

They were chosen because they were teachers of the year at various schools in the district, and two of them come from schools in East Cobb—Karen Smith of Murdock Elementary School and Kristen Muller of Shallowford Falls Elementary School.

Here’s more from the district about what was behind these special presentations and the “Gift Blitz” packages:

“In years past, the community has been able to celebrate the District’s top teachers at a Teacher of the Year Pep rally, honoring the top teacher from every school in Cobb. This year, however, the pep rally is not possible due to the ongoing fight against COVID. 

“Nevertheless, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and local community organizations still wanted an opportunity to thank some of the District’s top teachers for all that they do for Cobb students.

“They came bearing gifts and holiday cheer for the teachers of the year at five schools. The sponsors included Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Elf on the Shelf, LGE Community Credit Union, Ed Voyles Automotive group, and Superior Plumbing.”

 

Said Sharon Mason, president and CEO of the Cobb Chamber:

“Our goal for our 2020 Give Our Schools a Hand program was to show as much support and appreciation for our Teachers of the Year as we can,. With the support of our Give Our Schools a Hand Doctorate Sponsors, we organized individual gift baskets filled with items to support these teachers during one of the most challenging times of their careers. Each basket was personally delivered by a team of volunteers and staff members.”

The other teachers of the year at East Cobb schools for 2020 include the following:

  • Addison Elementary School, Kara Jorgensen
  • Bells Ferry Elementary School, Peter Boomhower
  • Blackwell Elementary School, Karlie Caulk
  • Brumby Elementary School, Justine Heath
  • Daniell Middle School, Kevin Vernie
  • Davis Elementary School, Darleen Johnston
  • Dickerson Middle School, Brooke Whalen
  • Dodgen Middle School, Kimberly Clark
  • East Cobb Middle School, Jennifer Katz
  • East Side Elementary School, Amy Cardwell
  • Eastvalley Elementary School, Sandra Magee
  • Garrison Mill Elementary, School Victoria Moller
  • Hightower Trail Middle, School Katie O’Ryan
  • Keheley Elementary School, Cindy Gropp
  • Kell High School, Amelia (Amy) Sanders
  • Kincaid Elementary School, Rhonda Stanley
  • Lassiter High School, Meredith (Dayle) Koester
  • Mabry Middle School, Michelle Gottenberg
  • McCleskey Middle School, Janni Benson-George
  • Mt. Bethel Elementary School, Jennifer Sigmund
  • Mountain View Elementary School, Ashley Gilbert
  • Murdock Elementary School, Karen Smith
  • Nicholson Elementary School, Margaret McMurtagh
  • Pope High School, Bradley Klink
  • Powers Ferry Elementary School, Dana Maghribi
  • Rocky Mount Elementary School, Alecia Beddard
  • Sedalia Park Elementary School, Priya Aiyer
  • Shallowford Falls Elementary School, Kristen Muller
  • Simpson Middle School, Valerie Johnson
  • Sope Creek Elementary School, Kelli Buckner
  • Sprayberry High School, Annie Thielen
  • Timber Ridge Elementary School, Amy Lee
  • Tritt Elementary School, Tiffany DeMeester
  • Walton High School, Tobie Hendricks
  • Wheeler High School, Raymond Furstein
East Cobb teachers holiday 'Gift Blitz'
Karen Smith of Murdock ES with her holiday basket.

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Walton student gets perfect score in SAT and subject exams

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Abhinav Kona, Walton student, perfect SAT score

Sirisha Kona, the very proud mother of Walton High School junior Abhinav Kona, got in touch to let us know about her son’s perfect score of 1,600 in the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

He also got perfect scores in the subject SAT exams, an 800 in chemistry and 800 in math 2.  

Here’s more from Sirisha about Abhinav’s involvement in academic and other activities at Walton and where he’s looking to attend college:

“He’s interested in neuroscience and plans to apply to many medical programs and colleges such as Northwestern, Stanford, Harvard, Brown, and the University of Michigan. He is actively involved in Walton’s math team, math and science honors society, science Olympiad, and Protein Modeling Club. At school, he enjoys playing the double bass and participating in chamber and GMEA’s all-state orchestra.

“Outside of the classroom, Abhinav cofounded a non-profit organization named the American Assimilation Helpline (AAH) to tutor refugees, immigrants, and low-income family students and provide a fair opportunity for all students to achieve high academic success wherever they are. The program is dedicated to providing free, personalized one-on-one tutoring sessions weekly, integrating student and parental preferences to match teachers with students based on teachers’ specialties.”

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Walton HS reports 23 confirmed COVID-19 cases this week

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Walton student charged

The final week of the fall semester resulted in a new high for the Cobb County School District for reported COVID-19 cases.

On Friday the Cobb school district updated its COVID case count to show 346 new confirmed cases for students and staff.

For the first time, multiple schools reported more than 10 cases in a week, including Walton High School in East Cobb, where 23 new cases were confirmed by Cobb and Douglas Public Health.

That’s the highest single-week total for any school in the district since it began keeping a tally on July 1. And that’s with a shortened week of in-person learning.

Earlier this week Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced that Thursday and Friday instruction would be online-only, due to rising COVID counts in Cobb County.

At a Cobb Board of Education meeting Thursday, he said the switch was being made “to prevent us from becoming a spreading environment.”

Since July, there have been 1,570 cases reported in the district. Before this week’s total, there were 241 and 252 cases in the previous two weeks.

Other schools with more than 10 cases this week include Kemp ES (17), Hayes ES, Vaughan ES (13) and Hillgrove HS (13). Wheeler High School in East Cobb and Campbell High School reported exactly 10 cases this week.

Another 81 schools reported 10 cases or less, including the following in East Cobb:

  • Elementary Schools: Bells Ferry; Blackwell; Brumby; Davis; Eastvalley; Garrison Mill; Mt. Bethel; Murdock; Nicholson; Powers Ferry; Sedalia Park; Shallowford Falls; Tritt.
  • Middle Schools: Daniell; Dickerson; Dodgen; East Cobb; Mabry; McCleskey; Simpson.
  • High Schools: Kell; Lassiter; Pope; Sprayberry.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, the rate of community spread in Cobb County is at its highest point since the pandemic began in March, with a 14-day average of 554 cases per 100,000.

On Friday, 443 more COVID cases were reported in Cobb County, which for the second time in a week set a record for date of report case totals. On Dec. 10 there were 414 new cases, and on Thursday that figure was 411.

Cobb’s figures by “date of onset”—or when a case was confirmed by a county health agency—also has been rising in recent weeks, and steeply.

There were 331 cases reported on Nov. 30 in that category, and 338 on Dec. 2. The 7-day moving average of date of onset cases in Cobb was 270 a day on Dec. 4. By comparison, that figure was 156 on Nov. 26.

In his remarks at Thursday’s school board meeting, Ragsdale urged students, parents and school staff not to “let your guard down during this break.”

He said he’d like to see the 14-day moving average fall to near 200 cases per 100,000, but wasn’t very optimistic.

“I’m a glass half-full guy but my glass is empty right now,” he said.

The spring semester begins on Jan. 6, and a slight majority of Cobb school parents have selected face-to-face learning. Another selection period will take place during the spring semester, but details have not been released.

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Kell football players sign with Robert Morris University

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Kell football players signing
Seated L-R: Kell football players Jaylon Brown and Corbin LaFrance. Standing L-R: Longhorns head coach Brett Sloan and offensive coordinator Kevin Burnette.

This week was National Signing Day for many high school athletes around the country, when they announce where they’ll be attending college to play sports.

At many high schools those events take place on campus, but COVID-19 restrictions in the Cobb County School District have prevented that this year.

So Kevin LaFrance, the father of Kell High School football quarterback Corbin LaFrance, decided to organize a signing day event for his son and another of his Longhorn teammates who will be heading to college together.

Corbin LaFrance and wide receiver Jaylon Brown have signed scholarship offers from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, which plays in the Big South Conference, whose members include Kennesaw State University.

The Big South postponed its football season to the spring because of COVID concerns, and Brown and LaFrance may have an early homecoming game if the schedule holds up.

Robert Morris is scheduled to play at Kennesaw State on April 3, 2021.

The Big South is in the Football Championship Subdivision, which has a national playoff conducted by the NCAA. Georgia and Georgia Tech play in Football Bowl Subdivision.

Kevin LaFrance sent along these photos of the early signing event at the Gameday Fresh Grille in Woodstock, where he set up a banquet room for the boys and Kell coaches.

Kell football signings

Kell football signings

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Cobb school board argues over buying COVID safety products

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Cobb schools COVID safety products
UV disinfecting lights were introduced in 3 Cobb elementary schools during the fall semester. Source: Cobb County School District

The Cobb County School District will be installing COVID-19 safety products in all 67 elementary schools after the school board approved an emergency request on Thursday.

The Cobb Board of Education voted 4-2 during a work session to spend up to $12 million to equip elementary schools with special UV disinfecting lights, hand sanitizers and other equipment from the district’s fund balance.

The district received earlier stimulus funding to provide safety equipment as a “proof of concept” measure at Argyle, Belmont Hills and Bryant elementary schools in South Cobb during the fall semester (see video at the bottom).

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the money is needed now, with the holiday break coming, and because additional stimulus funding from Congress that would pay for additional equipment hasn’t been forthcoming.

Congress could take action on a new spending package related to COVID-19 by Friday. The Cobb school district has set aside $15 million of its own funding for safety equipment, but Ragsdale intends for the new $12 million amount to be reimbursed from the federal government.

“We want to do everything we can to maintain a healthy classroom environment,” Ragsdale said, adding that the goal is to continue providing face-to-face learning when the spring semester begins in January.

Cobb schools are finishing the fall semester all-online due to rising COVID cases. Ragsdale said he would have liked to have had more schools equipped by now, and that might have prevented this week’s decision to go to remote learning.

Board members Charisse Davis and Jaha Howard voted against the spending, saying these were unproven projects and that there are more important priorities to keep students and staff safe that are being ignored.

The hand sanitizing machines, made by 30e Scientific and called “Iggy,” spray water with a small amount acqueous ozone to reduce bacteria, and will be placed in high-traffic areas of schools. The low-voltage UV lights, made by ProTek Life and called Cleanz254, disinfect classrooms daily after the school day is over. The process takes an hour overnight, and the vendor claims it kills 99.99 percent of all microbes in a classroom.

Howard said he hasn’t seen any data or evidence that the products work, and noted that the Cobb school district is the first client for the hand sanitizer manufacturer.

“I don’t understand why we’re making such a huge investment in something that’s secondary,” Howard said, calling the safety products “bells and whistles” and added that the board is being asked to spend “money we don’t really have.”

“We have some basic infrastructure that is not in place. This is a luxury,” Howard said. “How about that we make sure that all of our schools have masks?

Ragsdale said Howard was inaccurate with some of his comments, saying that while the hand sanitizing machines are new, acqueous ozone is not, nor are UV lights. The district also is providing masks and is taking steps to bring on more supply nurses.

Howard continued to press the issue, but board attorney Clem Doyle advised chairman Brad Wheeler to move on.

Board member Randy Scamihorn interrupted Howard, and said his colleague was doing little more than offering his opinion.

“I disapprove of us trying to get into the superintendent’s business,” Scamihorn said. “Our job is not to interrogate them on the companies.”

When Howard finally asked Ragsdale if he was “comfortable” recommending such a purchase, the superintendent said he wouldn’t have done so if he didn’t think the equipment was effective.

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Cobb schools to close fall semester online-only

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The Cobb County School District announced Tuesday that the last two days of classes in the fall semester, this Thursday and Friday, will be online only due to rising COVID-19 cases. Cobb County School District, Cobb schools dual enrollment summit

The district said in a release that the decision was “based on guidance by Cobb and Douglas Public Health.” Here’s more from the district:

“The number of positive COVID-19 cases in our community continues to rise and we are taking every possible step, including using remote learning days, to keep community spread from becoming school spread.

“This was not an easy decision and we understand that this may be a difficulty for some of our families. Working collaboratively with Cobb & Douglas Public Health, this decision is intended to benefit our students, staff, and could help our entire community be safer and healthier over the holiday break.

“These two additional remote learning days will also give District and public health staff the time they need to effectively and efficiently contact trace existing cases.”

Another 351 COVID-19 cases were reported in Cobb on Monday, following last week’s single-day record of 404. The previous record of 363 was set only on Dec. 4, and these figures are similar to numbers recorded during a summer surge of reported cases in the county.

In another key metric, the 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people in Cobb continues to skyrocket. It was 521 on Monday, and has been sharply rising over the last month.

That’s much higher than the “high community spread” category of 100 cases per 100,000.

Last week Dr. Janet Memark, the director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, issued letters to school parents urging them to limit activities during the holidays, noting that cases in the school district are coming from outside of a school environment.

Cobb schools provides updated COVID-related information at its Learning Everywhere page.

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Cobb health director urges caution in letter to school parents

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Dr. Janet Memark
Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health

As the number of COVID-19 cases in the Cobb County School District surged past 1,000 since July, the director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health sent a message to parents urging them to continue to take precautions to slow the spread of the virus.

Cobb County set a single-day record for reported new COVID-19 cases with 375 on Thursday, and on Friday the Cobb school district reported 250 new cases over the last week.

In a letter that went out Thursday, Dr. Janet Memark said that she has “seen little in-school transmission, but we do see weekly increases in the number of cases coming back positive in the school system from out of the school.”

The full letter can be seen at the bottom of this post.

Those 250 new cases were reported in 81 schools, and according to the district’s weekly update, all of the schools reported 10 or fewer cases. All of the 16 traditional high schools in the Cobb school district reported cases this week.

Since July, there have been 1,212 cases in the district confirmed by Cobb and Douglas Public Health. The Cobb school district does not break down the totals between students and staff, nor do the figures indicate how many individuals may be in quarantine due to possible exposure to the virus.

The district also has said it has not closed any classes or schools since students began returning to campus in October.

In her letter—a similar version was also sent to Marietta City Schools parents this week—Memark said the rising cases are causing hospitalizations and ICU bed occupancy to be near capacity, although she did not provide numbers.

She said that more cases are coming into the schools via slumber parties, athletic teams, holiday parties and social gatherings. In addition to wearing masks and practicing social distancing Memark asked parents in the letter “to try to limit the amount of time that your family members have had with those outside of your immediate families. The case rate is too high to let our guard down.”

The fall semester ends next Friday; the spring semester starts Jan. 6, and the Cobb school district said Thursday that 54 percent of current students have chosen the face-to-face option.

There also will be another sign-up window over the winter for the spring semester.

In East Cobb, the following schools reported confirmed COVID-19 cases this week:

  • Elementary schools: Bells Ferry; Blackwell; Brumby; Davis; East Side; Garrison Mill; Keheley; Kincaid; Mt. Bethel; Mountain View; Murdock; Powers Ferry; Rocky Mount; Shallowford Falls; Sope Creek; Timber Ridge; Tritt
  • Middle schools: Daniell; Dickerson; Dodgen; East Cobb; Mabry; McCleskey; Simpson
  • High schools: Kell; Lassiter; Pope; Sprayberry; Walton; Wheeler

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Cobb schools reveal face-to-face, remote choices for spring semester

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Mt. Bethel ES, Cobb CCRPI scores
84 percent of the parents of Mt. Bethel Elementary School students chose face-to-face learning for the spring semester.

The Cobb County School District said Thursday that nearly 54 percent of its enrollment will be learning in classrooms for the spring semester.

The district revealed those numbers, including school-by-school choices, and that you can find here.

Another 25 percent of students will be learning remotely during the spring, while 21 percent had not revealed their choices at the end of the sign-up period.

The district said those decisions will be made at the school level with students and their parents.

Another sign-up period will take place during the spring semester, but no dates or other specifics were announced by the district on Thursday.

The spring semester begins on Jan. 6.

The 53.6 percent overall figure for face-to-face learning for the spring is a bit higher than the 52.3 percent of students who signed up for in-person learning in the fall.

Like the fall, the school level with the highest percentages of face-to-face choices are for elementary school, at 60.9 percent.

In middle school, the face-to-face totals come to 53.5 percent, and for high school they’re 44.1 percent, also similar to fall figures.

In East Cobb, the schools with the highest rates of face-to-face choices are at Garrison Mill ES (85.9 percent), Keheley ES (85.8), Mt. Bethel ES (84.3), Tritt ES (83.5) and Hightower Trail MS (80.5).

On the other end were Brumby ES (38.6 percent), Eastvalley ES (40.3 percent), East Cobb MS (44.2), and Wheeler HS (37.3), although schools with lower face-to-face figures also had high numbers of students who hadn’t made a choice.

Three of the six high schools in East Cobb have a majority choosing face-to-face for the spring: Lassiter (67.8 percent), Pope (67.6) and Walton (57.6).

But nearly a third of students at Walton and Wheeler hadn’t made a choice.

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Pope athletic director recognized by athletic administrators group

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Pope softball team state champs
Pope athletic director Josh Mathews with the Greyhounds softball team after winning the 2019 Georgia 6A state championship. (ECN file)

Information from the Cobb County School District:

The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) recently announced that Josh Mathews, Athletic Director and Assistant Principal at Pope High School, has been recognized as a Certified Master Athletic Administrator (CMAA).

To earn the CMAA, Josh demonstrated exemplary knowledge, contributions, and on-going professional development in the field of interscholastic athletic administration. He put in many hours of his own time to earn this certification. The process included a thorough evaluation of his educational background, experience, NIAAA Leadership Courses, and professional contributions. He also had to create and submit a final presentation project.

“This is a very big deal,” said Cobb Schools Director of Athletics Don Baker. “There are only a little over 1,000 in the country, and Josh is the only one in our county with this distinction. It is a testament to Josh’s hard work and dedication to the field of athletic administration.”

Mr. Baker also received his certification as a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA). He hopes to complete his CMAA early next year. “Both Don and Josh are now part of an elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators nationwide to attain this level of professionalism,” said NIAAA Executive Director Mike Blackburn.

“Gaining the CMAA designation was a goal of mine as an athletic administrator, and achieving a goal is always satisfying,” said Josh. “I appreciate those who helped me walk through my years in athletic leadership. There is no substitute for learning from others who have lived the same experiences. I would encourage more of our Athletic Directors to go through these certification processes.”

When asked how this distinction would benefit the Pope sports community, Josh immediately lightened the mood. “It means that when they receive an email from me, there will be an extra initial in the signature,” he said, smiling. 

“Seriously though,” he continued, “the key takeaway from obtaining this certification is the professional development and the athletic operations required to complete it. Serving at Pope is a humbling honor because of the great people in this community—from our students to our staff, to the parents, the alumni, and so many other supportive community members.  Our family truly loves being a part of the Pope Family.”

“Cobb Schools is very proud to call Josh Mathews one of its own,” said Don Baker proudly. “His passion for athletics and the Pope community is unmatched, and he does a great job leading the Greyhounds each and every day. We are lucky to have him in our District.”

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Cobb schools report 241 new COVID cases as total nears 1,000

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Over the last two weeks there have been 241 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the Cobb County School District.Campbell High School lockdown

Last week the district didn’t provide its usual weekly update due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but on Friday provided new numbers that show nearly 1,000 cases that have been reported overall.

There have been 962 cases confirmed by Cobb and Douglas Public Health since July 1 in the Cobb school district.

A total of 675 of those cases among students and staff have been reported since students began returning to campuses in early October.

The most recent report includes confirmed COVID cases at 67 schools in the 113-school Cobb district. They are being reported at 37 elementary schools, 16 middle schools and in 14 of the district’s 17 high schools.

All of them are reporting 10 or fewer cases, as has been the case since the district began providing the weekly updates.

Also on Friday, the Cobb school district updated health and safety resource information, including quarantine guidance, that you can find here.

In East Cobb the following schools have confirmed new COVID cases over the last two weeks:

  • Elementary: Addison, Brumby, Davis, East Side, Eastvalley, Garrison Mill, Keheley, Mt. Bethel, Mountain View, Murdock, Nicholson, Rocky Mount, Sedalia Park, Shallowford Falls, Timber Ridge, Tritt;
  • Middle: Daniell, Dickerson, Dodgen, East Cobb, McCleskey;
  • High: Kell, Lassiter, Pope, Sprayberry, Wheeler.

The newest figures for the Cobb school district come as community spread of COVID-19 continues to increase in the county and Georgia.

Georgia Department of Public Health figures as of Friday show a 14-day average of 332 cases per 100,000 in Cobb County, much higher than the “high” community threshold of a 14-day average of 100 cases per 100,000.

That figure dropped to around 100 early in the fall, but has been steadily going up.

On Friday, Dr. Janet Memark, the director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, issued a “surge alert” expressing concern about “an alarming number of cases being reported to public health this week. The timing is right for the beginnings of the results of any activities over the Thanksgiving break.”

Also on Thursday, Cobb and Douglas Public Health figures showed that 501 people have died in Cobb County from COVID-19, and 110 in East Cobb.

More than 27,000 COVID cases have been reported in the county since March, and another 346 cases were reported on Thursday.

No schools or classes in the Cobb school district have been closed for COVID reasons since the return of face-to-face learning. During a Cobb Board of Education meeting in November, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said he would determine possible action along those lines on a case-by-case basis, and does not anticipate returning to all-virtual learning.

The fall semester ends on Dec. 18 and the spring semester starts on Jan. 6.

Parents of Cobb school district students had until last Friday to choose between in-person and remote learning options for their children for the spring semester.

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Dodgen MS student is national finalist in science contest

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Submitted information and photo from the Cobb County School District:

Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public has proudly recognized Dodgen 8th Grader, Abhijeet Ghosh, as one of the 30 national finalists of the 2020 virtual Broadcom MASTERS science & engineering competition. Abhijeet was selected as a finalist in this national competition after completing an entry based on his Dodgen science fair project completed last spring. His project went on to win at the county level and beyond. Abhijeet recently participated in finals week of the competition. During the competition, Abhijeet presented his research to judges and the public and competed in team STEM challenges.  

In recognition of Dodgen supporting Abhijeet as a Broadcom MASTERS finalist, the Broadcom Foundation and the Society for Science & the Public are proud to award Dodgen Middle School with $1,000 for each finalist named in the Broadcom MASTERS. The award will be used to support the development of excellence in science, math, or engineering education at Dodgen.  

More on the Broadcom Foundation and the Society for Science and the Public can be found here.

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Lassiter student chosen for AP College Board digital art exhibit

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Abigail Cutler, Lassiter student AP digital art exhibit

Reader Lisa Cutler passed along a really cool honor for her daughter Abigail, a senior at Lassiter High School.

She’s been selected as one of 51 students worldwide for the AP College Board Art digital art exhibit.

Lisa says 63,000 students submitted their work for the contest, and Abigail’s work is the only one from a student in Georgia.

Her exhibit is called “Do you see right through me?” and the subject explores anxieties and inner securities when not taking proper medication.

She used acrylic paint, magazine paper, digital images, and a permanent marker. Says Abigail’s Lassiter art teacher, Suzette Spinelli:

“Abigail is a student that can mentally visualize something from real life into a profound work of art. Her experience is not the final art but a trigger for a new idea. This helps her create art that becomes higher-level, incorporating critical thinking skills that she thrives upon.”

 

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Cobb Board of Education adopts legislative priorities for 2021

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Submitted information:Cobb County School District, Cobb schools dual enrollment summit

In the first Board meeting since all Cobb students have had the choice to return to face-to-face learning, the Cobb Schools Board of Education voted to approve the following legislative priorities for the 2020-21 school year: educational access, financial sustainability, and accuracy in accountability.

“With all that has happened to public education since COVID-19, these legislative priorities are even more important than normal. During a pandemic when everything will be more complicated than ever, the needs of our students and teachers are how we came to these priorities and are who we will be supporting going into this legislative session,” said Cobb Schools Board Chair Brad Wheeler.

As demonstrated since March, policies, and funding to support educational access for all students, in both remote or face-to-face classrooms, is more important than it ever has been. Steps to ensure educational access for all students include strengthening the teacher pipeline, sustaining the teachers’ retirement system, and maintaining or increasing Title I allocations. Fully funding classrooms for students and teachers by funding the Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula is the most important part of keeping Cobb Schools financially sustainable. Although due to COVID-19, instruction has looked different this year, the costs for the buildings, utilities, teachers, and staff are called “fixed costs.” To support these fixed costs, the way schools are funded—which is based on Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)—should be based on counts equal to or greater than those taken in March 2020. The school board also determined that financial sustainability, now and in the future, depends on funds not being diverted from public education. As with the other two legislative priorities, the BOE’s final priority has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has dramatically impacted the way students learn. Accuracy in accountability focuses on reducing the impact of standardized testing, ensuring flexibility around CCRPI, and applying charter waivers to SWSS Systems.

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Walton High School graduate receives Rhodes Scholarship

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Sam Patterson, Walton graduate Rhodes Scholarship

Sam Patterson, a 2017 graduate of Walton High School, has received a Rhodes Scholarship.

A senior at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, he’s one of 32 American students awarded the prestigious scholarship each year, which supports graduate study at the University of Oxford in England.

Here’s more from UMBC about Sam and what he wants to study at Oxford and his plans beyond that:

Patterson will pursue an M.Sc. in the Nature, Society, and Environmental Governance program at Oxford focusing on the economics of transportation. This research area will take full advantage of his three undergraduate degrees from UMBC. This spring, Patterson will earn bachelor of science degrees in mathematics and statistics and a bachelor of arts in economics. 

A Meyerhoff Scholar and member of the Honors College, Patterson has steadily nurtured his interest in transportation economics at UMBC and through intensive summer internships. He conducted research supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation at Harvard University with the Harvard Leadership Alliance and at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Most recently, at the National Bureau of Economic Research, he evaluated trends in transportation changes in urban centers due to the pandemic.

A strong network of support has been a cornerstone of Patterson’s UMBC experience. “From the Meyerhoff Scholars program to the Honors College to Dr. Householder to Naomi Mburu [UMBC’s first Rhodes Scholar] to my recommenders and mock interviewers and beyond, I’ve never had so many people on my team before, pushing me to achieve something I’m pursuing,” Patterson shares.

A transformative opportunity

Originally from Marietta, Georgia, Patterson’s education and internships have taken him around the U.S. However, he has never traveled abroad, so the Rhodes Scholarship offers a unique opportunity for him to broaden his perspective by studying in the U.K. and visiting other European countries. He hopes to further deepen his understanding of challenges—and potential solutions—related to a range of transportation systems. 

“I’m so excited to go to the U.K.! I think it will do wonders for my research when I experience the European perspective on public transportation and its place in society and sustainability,” Patterson says. “There are so many brilliant academics at Oxford that I’m raring to meet. I just feel so fortunate to be where I am and to be going where I’m going.”

After Oxford, Patterson already has plans to attend Harvard University for a Ph.D. Before he gets there, though, Patterson and his mentors have no doubt the Rhodes experience will be transformative.

“The Rhodes Scholarship is a life-changing opportunity for exceptional young people with the potential to make a difference for good in the world. Sam has that mixture of grit and excellence that is the best of what UMBC represents,” Householder says. “His experience in the U.K. will enrich not only his academic path, but also his personal journey in so many profound ways. I can’t wait to see what he will accomplish.”

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Cobb schools report 106 new COVID cases; 434 since October

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For the second week in a row, more than 100 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the Cobb County School District.Campbell High School lockdown

The district posted this week’s update on Friday noting an additional 106 cases this week, for 721 overall since July 1. All the cases are confirmed by Cobb and Douglas Public Health.

The cases are for staff, teachers and students but aren’t broken down further.

When elementary schools students began returning for face-to-face instruction on October 5, there had been 287 cases to that point.

Since then, 434 cases have been reported as the reopening continued. Here’s how those figures have risen week-by-week:

  • October 9: 324 (elementary return)
  • October 16: 349
  • October 23: 382 (middle school return)
  • October 30: 443
  • Nov. 6: 511 (high school return)
  • Nov. 13: 615
  • Nov. 20: 721

Last week, the first week of reporting since the arrival of high school students, there were 105 new cases at 53 schools.

This week’s 106 cases also are spread out at 53 schools, including most of the high schools.

All of the schools reported 10 cases or less, which has been the case since the district first began reporting weekly totals in October.

Here are the following schools in East Cobb with new cases this week:

  • Elementary Schools: Addison, Blackwell, Davis, Mountain View; Nicholson; Rocky Mount, Sedalia Park, Shallowford Falls, Sope Creek, Tritt
  • Middle Schools: Dickerson, Dodgen, Mabry, McCleskey, Simpson
  • High Schools: Lassiter, Pope, Walton, Wheeler

Only Dickerson Middle School had not previously reported any cases.

On Thursday, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said that he’s not planning a return to all-virtual learning, in the wake of rising case numbers in the schools and in the county.

He said Cobb and Douglas Public Health officials told him the virus isn’t spreading in the schools, and any decisions to close classrooms or schools will be made on a “case-by-case basis.”

He said there was a school that caused some concern, but health officials determined multiple cases weren’t related and the school remained open.

No Cobb schools or classrooms have been closed since students returned in October.

“There is not going to be trigger or a number or a level,” Ragsdale said to the school board, prompting an exchange with board member Jaha Howard.

Ragsdale said over the summer, when the county’s 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people was spiking extremely high—nearly 400—that was his baseline for deciding to start the year all-virtual.

The reopening began after that number dropped close to 200, and for a while in Cobb it hovered around 100, which is considered “high community spread.”

That average is now back in the mid-200s, and Ragsdale said Thursday that “we are in a different time than we were in the summer.”

Since face-to-face learning resumed, teachers have had to instruct students in their classrooms and those at home simultaneously.

Connie Jackson of the Cobb County Association of Educators told school board members Thursday that “right now, our teachers are so overworked. They are at their breaking report.”

She asked that the district provide a written policy about how it’s following data during the pandemic, giving teachers the option in the second semester of teaching all-virtual if they have medical conditions that make it unsafe to teach from school, and provide bus drivers with masks for students who don’t have them.

Parents of Cobb school district students have until Nov. 29 to choose their child’s learning option for the spring semester, and Ragsdale said it’s possible a second window could open up for that purpose depending on any possible COVID case spike over the winter.

On Friday, the district is sending home with students a “symptom letter” written by Cobb and Douglas Public Health advising families on how to reduce the spread of the virus and stay safe during the Thanksgiving holidays.

Here’s the test of that message:

Dear Parents and Caregivers of Cobb County School District Students:

The Fall season has brought cooler weather, but also a rise of 100% over the last few weeks in COVID 19 cases in our county. We were already in the high transmission category, but this new rise in cases jeopardizes all the progress that has been made to this point. Not only are we seeing very high transmission rates, but our hospitals are now nearing capacity. Surges in many states throughout the nation show us that we have not yet controlled this virus. We in public health are deeply concerned with cold weather moving us indoors, the anticipated holiday travel, and the COVID fatigue that has made our community to be less likely to wear masks or keep our distance from others.

The importance of keeping our children in school is indisputable. At this critical juncture, we need to work together to keep that a reality for us all.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health (CDPH) is working with the school staff and parents to contain isolated cases of COVID-19 throughout the schools. Due to federal HIPAA laws, we try our best to protect the privacy of the affected individuals in each case. We wanted to take this time to remind of you of best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please remember, DO NOT send your children to school when they have symptoms of COVID- 19. These symptoms include, but are not limited to:

  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fever
  • Muscle aches
  • Sore throat
  • Headaches
  • Congestion/runny nose
  • Diarrhea

We have received multiple reports of parents sending their children to school while sick. We understand the burden of having to keep children home when they are sick, but sending sick children to school can endanger other children and staff, as well. Free Covid-19 tests are provided by CDPH in the form of nasal self swabs and results are available within 1-2 days.

Also remember that any child who is in direct contact with a family member positive for COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes ACCUMULATED, over 24 hours during the isolation period is a close contact and should not be sent to school. They must quarantine. Not doing so, endangers the health of other children and the community at large.

These orders are in accordance with O.C.G.A. §§ 31-2A-4(4) and 31-12-4, Chapter 511-9- 1 of the Rules of the Georgia Department of Public Health.

We also ask that you all help us to contain the spread of COVID-19 within our community. Wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoiding crowds of people will go a long way in winning this battle.

Please contact us at www.cobbanddouglashealth.org for more information on COVID-19 or to sign up for a free test.

For additional information, please visit the Georgia Department of Public Health website:

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