Cobb schools antiSemitism antiracism resolution Archives

The Cobb Board of Education’s Republican majority approved what’s been titled an “Antisemitism and Racism” resolution Thursday despite efforts by their Democratic colleagues to delay the matter.

By a party line 4-2 vote, the board’s GOP members adopted a resolution during a Thursday afternoon work session that chairman Randy Scamihorn said would be forthcoming in September, following the discovery of swastika graffiti at Pope and Lassiter high schools.

The district has said it has brought disciplinary charges against the students involved, but has not elaborated. That didn’t satisfy some local Jewish leaders who wanted a stronger response that specifically mentioned antisemitism.

The resolution states in part that:

“These acts demonstrate that antisemitism, antiracism and other forms of hate still exist in our communities and must be addressed requiring our full commitment to actively work and continue to build an inclusive school district built on trust and respect for all.”

The resolution was added late to the board’s agenda, and a copy was not made available in advance of the meeting.

East Cobb News received a photo copy of the resolution from the district shortly after the work session (see below).

Cobb schools antisemitism racism resolution

Democratic board member Tre’ Hutchins of South Cobb tried to get the vote on the resolution delayed to November, saying that as a board member, “I prefer that we get it right the first time.

“I don’t feel like were in that place. . . . I want us to have more time to digest what has been presented to us, and make sure we get it right as a board.”

But his motion to table failed 2-4 (along the same party lines), as did a proposed amendment by Jaha Howard, also a Democrat on the school board.

He wanted the resolution to include provisions to change the names of schools named after military figures in the Confederacy—a reference to Wheeler High School—to names “that reflect the goal of inclusion.”

Howard also said that the board received the resolution only on Monday night, and that “we haven’t had time to digest it.”

His motion also failed by the same 2-4 vote. Democrat Charisse Davis, whose Post 6 includes the Wheeler and Walton clusters, was absent from the work session.

Both Howard and Hutchins said they thought the resolution would be solely regarding antisemitism.

“We are getting ready to vote on something that we have not read, that does not just include antisemitism,” Hutchins said.

Scamihorn said of the resolution that “the community helped put this together” and that it was not driven by the chairman.

A Republican from Post 1 in North Cobb, Scamihorn attended a Yom Kippur service at Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb in the wake of the Pope and Lassiter incidents, and was asked to hold the Torah at that service, during the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

But the reaction to the resolution was not embraced by some in the Jewish community. The Southeast Division of the Anti-Defamation League in Atlanta issued the following statement Thursday night:

“The Cobb County Schools Board of Education’s resolution in response to recent antisemitic incidents is a good first step, but unless followed by specific actions, it’s an empty gesture. Hate in all forms must be responded to with action and education, not empty value statements.

“Adding the resolution to the agenda just before today’s Board of Education work session prevented members of the Cobb County community from making their voices heard and other board members from reviewing it thoroughly.

“We can’t support this as an adequate response without a commitment to a specific plan to use education to combat antisemitism and prevent future acts of hate in Cobb County Schools. We look forward to seeing the county’s action plan.”

At the Thursday night school board voting meeting, the board heard similar complaints. Some urged the Cobb school district to reintroduce the ADL’s No Place For Hate educational program, which was eliminated earlier this year.

Herschel Greenblatt, a 100-year-old Holocaust survivor who was recognized by the school board last month, was among them.

In his remarks, he told board members “I hope you go beyond words and take action,” saying the anti-Semitic graffiti in Cobb schools “should never, ever happen again.

In 2020, the school board was unable to come to a consensus on an antiracism resolution, after partisan differences over language, including the use of the phrase “systemic racism.”

Advocates for changing the name of Wheeler High School have complained that their attempts to communicate with school board members have been ignored for months.

The issue has not been included on any school board agenda since first coming up in 2020.