Two candidates. Eight issues.

This message was shared by our representative here in HD 46 earlier this week and it shows the wide disconnect between him and what is actually going on in our public schools here in Cobb County.

- Perhaps if he were more involved in our schools, he would have stood up for the Pope high school student who was targeted by the district simply for writing an article about her experiences in Cobb classrooms. He didn't, but I did. - Or he might have called for an investigation when district officials broke federal and state law, a state law he voted for, in accessing her student record and providing it to the media. He didn't, but I did. - Or he might have called for the discipline of these same officials when they made inappropriate sexual remarks about picking up students who attend school board meetings. He didn't, but I did. - Or he might have called for the discipline of these same officials when they pre-planned a move of public comment to silence students and community members, a move which put students as young as 8 years old in harm's way. He didn't, but I did. - Or he might have seen that this social media blitz around book bans from the district earned them an endorsement from a hate group responsible for bomb threats to children's hospitals and elementary schools throughout the country and said, "wait a minute, this has gone too far." He didn't do that, but I have.

Let's be clear - there is no explicit material in our schools. How could there be when this same Superintendent has been at the helm for the last 10 years? These are just desperate actions by politicians looking to cling to power by any means necessary. They are dividing parents into "good and evil", aiming to bring the divisive partisanship that exists within government right into our schools purely for political gain. And that isn't right.

I have a daughter in our public schools who just completed first grade. I'm heavily involved in parent volunteer organizations in her school and in all of the schools in East Cobb. In the day to day, we don't have these divisions - we come together with parents of all backgrounds to make sure that we meet the needs of all of our students - whether that is in creating events to bring families together or in finding the funds to provide literacy training to our teachers when state funding is lacking.

Parents have certainly rejected the partisanship in our schools. Perhaps it is time we reject it at the ballot box too.

I've been there since day 1 defending inclusive classrooms environments for our children and standing up for our educators. Cobb County is the epicenter of attacks on public education in Georgia as some groups try to mimic in our state what they are doing in Florida and Texas around book bans and the teaching of alternative history.

I'm proud to be one of the founding organizers for this coalition that seeks to build on past efforts to resist harmful policies in the Cobb County school district that marginalize students and threaten our educators. While we have exceptional educators, specialists, and administrators throughout the county, our leadership has failed them and failed our students time and time again. Under Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, the Cobb County School Board has repeatedly taken steps to stifle public input and silence dissenting board members. CCSD has a well documented history of failing to address racism, antisemitism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination, even when brought to public attention.

We will hold a rally on Thursday, September 14 at 3:30pm leading to the evening board meeting that starts at 7pm. We will be there to speak as parents, students, educators, and community members to demand the following:

1. The termination of Chris Dowd, the executive director of HR in Cobb County Schools who used racist and homophobic slurs as described in a report commissioned by a US Attorney. 2. The resignation or termination of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale. 3. Removal of the bans on CRT and the 1619 project in Cobb classrooms. 4. An explanation of why Libs of TikTok, an out-of-state hate group, received action on their complaints within two days while students and community members have waited years for responses. 5. Reinstate the ADL's No Place for Hate program or a similar anti-bias, anti-racist curriculum to reduce bullying and support marginalized students. 6. That CCSD follow its own policies for book removals with no exceptions for complaints from groups outside of Cobb. 7. Define what constitutes a "controversial issue" or "divisive topic" to provide clarity and assurance to educators who are currently enduring a hostile work environment.

If you've had enough of what is going on in our school district, please join us on Thursday. The rally is scheduled to take place outside of the district office at 514 Glover St beginning at 3:30pm.

There is a reason DEI is an important part of the culture of many large organizations. The outcome of these efforts is BELONGING, an environment where people can reach their full potential and innovation thrives. People in the organization feel valued and businesses are more profitable.

Imagine where we would be as a country if we had embraced this for the full period of Reconstruction rather than backsliding into the era of Jim Crow. Economists have estimated the US economy has already lost $16 trillion since 2000 alone due to systemic racism.

Today we face our own Reconstruction with politicians removing DEI from classrooms and scrubbing it from teacher training. Will we let our state and country backslide again leaving our children and grandchildren to wonder where they would be if we had done more? Or are we going to fight back and give our full throated support to DEI? To CRT? To the idea that white children can learn about racism so that Black children do not have to experience it?

It is not enough to just be a good person. The moment requires more. It requires calling your school board and state legislators. It requires writing to the GA board of education. It requires supporting teachers and their anti-racism efforts in the classroom. It requires having those uncomfortable conversations with each other and modeling that behavior for our children because change only happens when conversations happen.

COVID-19 vaccines have saved 20 million lives worldwide in the first year. Other vaccines prevent 2-3 million deaths per year. The reason we have immunization requirements for public schools is to protect the health of other students and the community, especially those who are immunocompromised.

Anti-vaxxers have no place in our state government.

My thoughts on last night's board meeting of Cobb County Schools:

MY COMMENTS

I spoke about recently hearing a high school student talk about the challenges of his peers related to mental health and how many students have fewer and fewer adults they trust in our school environments. How we are more concerned with test scores than their well-being. And I related that to how our rhetoric around punishing our students for standing up for their classmates only further erodes that trust while also putting our admins and educators in a terrible position of having to toe the district line or doing what is natural to them – helping and listening to their students.

Our students are not only extremely knowledgeable about what is going on in our country, but they are keenly aware of their lived experiences. It was just last year that they saw a classmate, a recent graduate of Sprayberry, be detained by ICE and go through the deportation process because of a technicality.

We teach our daughter to lead with kindness, empathy, and compassion for her fellow classmates. It's encouraging to see our students be that living example for her.

SUPERINTENDENT CONTRACT

The board voted 5-2 to further extend the Superintendent's contract and keep him at the 3-year max term. It was not only unnecessary because the Superintendent is still under contract, but it is problematic because of the actions and directions of this district over the last several years. As a board member, I would have been a firm no on this extension.

SUPERINTENDENT REMARKS

The Superintendent once again went after students, parents, and community members in his remarks on the recent walkouts by students. He sold our students short saying their actions were not student-led, but they were instead the work of various political operatives from outside the county. He disparaged these students, not only repeating the threat that their actions will damage their standings with colleges, but he made the ridiculous claim that the walkouts will cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This part of the board meeting is supposed to be a time when the leader of our district talks about what is going on in our schools and the vision for education. He could have addressed why Cobb County Schools had the largest drop in CCRPI in the entire Metro area. He could have given a plan for how we address the deeply concerning drop in our elementary schools in particular, especially with ELA (reading). Or, because we honored counseling departments across the county, he could have talked about the mental health crisis in our students and what specific things we are doing to help our students.

Instead, he gave a political speech while his board majority sat there, watched, and cheered him on. When I am on the board, I will not stay silent when remarks become a bully pulpit for the Superintendent, and I will use my authority as a board member to act.

CHARTER SCHOOL IN MABLETON APPROVED

The charter application for Power Public schools was approved by a 6-0-1 vote. I had a chance to speak to that team before and after the meeting and to hear their public comments. It was refreshing to hear the word “equity” again in a building that has been intentional in removing it from our core mission.

It’s great that this charter is led by those in the community and driven by a need that I know is there. I’ve seen many families of color talk about leaving or have left our public schools because our district is unresponsive to their needs or cannot provide a safe learning environment for their children.

I do have concerns about the effect on surrounding public schools and whether all those in the community who have expressed a need can actually take part in this venture because they may not have the transportation to get their kids to and from the school daily. And obviously we need to be more responsive to the needs of families in these communities, something that will not happen with the current makeup of the board.