Here’s something that took a lot of people by surprise in East Cobb in 2018: Student walkouts in favor of gun-control, a month after the high school shootings in Parkland, Fla.
Students from Walton, Pope, Lassiter and Wheeler were vocal about their plans to leave their classes at a designated time on March 14 as part of a national campaign to protest gun violence.
The Cobb County School District announced that it did not endorse the walkout, and said students who violated school disruption policies would be subject to disciplinary action.
The day after the Florida shootings, principal Chris Ragsdale announced the district would step up code-red drills to improve preparedness.
At Walton, walkout leaders said they were undeterred, claiming they had 2,300 students signed up to take part in the protest.
In an interview with East Cobb News, Walton principal Judy McNeill said she was disappointed with the students who were walking out, and that other students were organizing an alternative to honor the Florida victims before the start of the school day.
Cobb schools closed high school campuses to visitors on March 14, and even locked the gates at Walton, where parents, friends and family members brought signs to signal their support for the walkout students.
At Pope High School, police blocked the only entrance. Cobb schools claimed only 250 Walton students walked out.
As the walkout period approached, a Walton parent read the names of the 17 victims in Parkland.
The following day, some of the East Cobb walkout leaders blistered Cobb school board members during a public comment period for attempting “to silence us” about their concerns over student safety.
Most of the board members said nothing. The students who walked out generally received a day of in-school suspension.
Other top East Cobb schools stories for 2018 include the opening of new school facilities at East Cobb Middle School and Brumby Elementary School, a Dodgen math teacher being named the Cobb teacher of the year, Sprayberry High School marking its 65th anniversary and school officials conducting a school safety town hall meeting at Lassiter High School.
- Walton principal retires; $1.2B school budget adopted
- Dodgen MS teacher ‘a legend in our community’| Veeder named Cobb teacher of year
- Cobb schools announce valedictorians, salutatorians
- School board approves enhanced pay increase
- Doors open for new Brumby ES, East Cobb MS campuses
- Walton, East Cobb school fare well in U.S. News rankings
- Cobb SAT scores led by Pope, Lassiter, Walton
- Walton HS charter renewed for 5 years
- East Cobb schools excel in 2018 Milestones tests
- Sprayberry grads gather for 65th anniversary celebration
- New Lassiter gym to cost $5M more than initial estimate
- Cobb CCRPI scores drop after state changes formula
- Cobb schools hold safety town hall at Lassiter
- Wheeler F1 team preps for international competition
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