Those wishing to speak at public comment have been required to stand in line outside since September when staff coordinated to push critics out of line (Photo by Rebecca Gaunt)
by Rebecca Gaunt
Critics accused the Cobb County School District central office staff of moving September’s public comment sign-up line at the last minute to silence them. Messages obtained by an open records request showed that their suspicions were correct.
The melee that ensued led to minor injuries, including to a high school student, and threats of arrest from the Cobb County School District Police, which intervened.
Eight staff members, including Chief Strategy and Accountability Officer John Floresta, coordinated the change using Microsoft Teams messaging.
Neither Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, nor Cobb County School District Police Chief Ron Storey responded to the Courier’s questions.
Obtained messages
Julian (Onan) Coca (director of content & marketing) to Floresta:
Also the super knows that tonight will be tougher than the first session, right?
They’ve got “Ragsdale is wrong” shirts
Floresta to Coca:
Yeah he knows
The messages show that the central office staff knew it could create a volatile situation, given the heated debate over removing books from school libraries.
District spokesperson Nan Kiel to Coca and Eric Rauch (digital content specialist):
Uh oh! There are some signs ready to support Ragsdale (gear up war gif inserted)
Read more here: Chaos and tension at Cobb school board meeting – Cobb County Courier
Jennifer Susko, a vocal critic of district leadership who accused the district of retaliation in November after being subpoenaed in the redistricting lawsuit last year, was the one who obtained the messages. She shared them in full with the Courier.
She helped to organize a “Replace Ragsdale” rally on the day of the September meeting. The group notified the district in advance that they would be…
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