Another Cobb County Schools Board of Education meeting is upon us, and, again, school safety is not on the agenda. This is an extreme disservice to the community, especially in the wake of the tragedy at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
As a mother, I felt a flood of emotions when I heard about the shooting. Those feelings quickly turned to frustration when Cobb County Schools responded with a generic “thoughts and prayers” email. For a school system fewer than 50 miles away from the tragedy to not even encourage students and parents to reach out to school counselors is inexcusable.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
When I asked my son if his teachers had acknowledged the incident, he said, “No. I think they’re scared to talk about it.” There were no town halls, no further statements, no mention of safety in future meetings. Their silence reminded me of February’s McEachern High School parking lot shooting in which poor communication led to a student going missing for hours, which the district never acknowledged.
As a parent, I’ve come to realize that if my son were ever in danger, I don’t trust Cobb County Schools to say or do anything competently.
From a communications standpoint, this is a failure. In my time as a public relations professional, I learned that in times of crisis, you must reassure your community by sharing information and showing you care. But the district’s follow-up was even more disappointing: It downplayed the safety concerns and placed the responsibility on parents by saying, “School safety starts at home.” Sure, I’m doing my job, but what are they doing to protect my kid from the one sitting next to him whose parents aren’t engaged or aware?
Cobb County School Board Chair Randy Scamihorn’s latest “Just the Facts” email reflected the district’s misplaced priorities, focusing more on book bans than keeping our kids safe from guns. School board members Scamihorn and Brad Wheeler refused to speak to the media or parents after the Apalachee shooting but are finding time to speak at a news conference before the September meeting. The topic? You guessed it: banning books.
Just a reminder, Mr. Scamihorn: Books didn’t kill four people in Winder; bullets did. And although some parents are concerned about the books that have been sitting in our libraries for decades, we all are concerned about keeping guns out of our schools.
Bad communication aside, how is Cobb County Schools keeping our students safe?
As part of the group Watching the Funds-Cobb, I discovered that Cobb Schools used 0% of the $265 million in American Rescue Plan funds for mental health support. Superintendent Chris Ragsdale recently touted the hiring of school psychologists, claiming it’s a mental health initiative, but those professionals mainly diagnose learning abilities, not address students’ broader mental health needs.
Meanwhile, a resolution by board member Tre Hutchins to improve school safety, focused on keeping guns out of schools, has stalled. Hutchins hasn’t been able to get any support from the board’s majority, led by Scamihorn.
Now the state superintendent plans to ask the governor to fund mental health services in all schools, and the National Association of School Resource Officers acknowledge that giving kids support and mental health services are critical components to school safety.
As the rest of Georgia responds to the tragedy in Winder, why are Cobb County Schools staying silent and ignoring the pleas of parents for additional safety measures?
Especially when the answer on how to address school safety is as clear as this: supported kids don’t kill classmates and teachers.
Heather Tolley-Bauer is a Cobb County resident and co-founder of Watching the Funds-Cobb, a watchdog group dedicated to ensuring transparency and fiscal responsibility from the Cobb County School District’s Board of Education and leadership.
