The Cobb Board of Education could approve an anti-racism resolution Thursday that some board members think doesn’t go far enough to address racial issues and inequalities in the Cobb County School District.
Board member Randy Scamihorn will propose a resolution (see below) to state that the district, board, superintendent and employees “are saddened by the tragic events that have recently occurred across the country.”
His resolution also states that “racism, prejudice and hate have no place in our county” and pledges that the district will “continue our commitment to stand up for racial justice and support civil rights for all.”
But Jaha Howard, one of three black members of the seven-member school board, said Tuesday that wording “has some good portions but is critically insufficient.”
Instead, Howard posted on his board member’s Facebook page his own draft resolution that he says “is more precise in conveying our acknowledgement and commitment to action against systemic racism.”
Howard specifically mentions the recent deaths of black citizens George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Rayshard Brooks—three of them by police—and said that “systemic racism and racial prejudice, especially against Black and Brown people, has a complicated history and devastating legacy in Georgia and Cobb County.”
Howard calls for the district to undertake “district-wide listening, district-wide learning, and targeted anti-racist programs and policy” and to “stand steadfast against systemic racism in all its forms and commit to racial justice, civil rights, inclusivity and equity for all.”
Scamihorn’s resolution will be discussed at the board’s work session that begins at 10 a.m. Thursday. Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale, under fire from Howard (of the Osborne and Campbell clusters) and board member Charisse Davis (who represents Walton and Wheeler) has said he will make his own statement on Thursday.
On June 12 Howard and Davis sent Ragsdale a letter requesting the Cobb school district undergo several actions to address racial concerns, including anti-bias training for employees and non-traditional methods to increase teacher diversity.
Davis and Howard have been pressing the district and other board members on diversity issues for several months, including asking for the designation of a chief equity officer.
They have openly clashed with board members on related matters, and last year claimed the Republican majority was censoring them by banishing board member comments during meetings.
The anti-racism resolution comes as online petitions have been started to rename Walton and Wheeler high schools in East Cobb, due to the racial backgrounds of their namesakes.
Davis has signed the petition regarding Wheeler, which is named after Joseph A. Wheeler, a general in the Confederate army during the Civil War.
After the work session on Thursday, the school board will go into executive session, and when it returns, will hold its regular voting meeting.
The meeting is virtual and no public comments will be accepted. You can view the work session and regular meeting online by clicking here.
The agendas for both meetings can be seen by clicking here.
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