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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