Superintendent postpones safety town halls, cites risk of disruptions; announces Servius Group partnership and rehires two Campbell coaches
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Summary
Superintendent Ragdale said planned community town halls on school safety were postponed because of a risk of disruptive political theater. He announced a partnership with the Servius Group for proactive threat identification and said two nonrenewed Campbell High School coaches would be rehired after review.
Superintendent Ragdale told the Cobb County School Board April 24 that the district postponed an in-person series of safety town halls because of a concern that public meetings could be disrupted and become unsafe.
Ragdale said the first session was scheduled for April 28 but was postponed after organizers concluded that recent political disruptions at public meetings nationwide and locally posed an unacceptable risk to students and families. "We obviously had the first of these scheduled for this coming Monday, April 28. Equally, unfortunately, we are now in an era in which political activists seemingly cannot allow public meetings to occur without violent disruption," Ragdale said.
The superintendent said the district will make the town-hall content available digitally and urged the community to review the materials online. He described a dual approach to safety that goes beyond school hardening to proactive threat identification, including monitoring social-media indicators and gang activity. "Our goal is not to punish, but prevent," he said.
Ragdale said the district had partnered with the Servius Group to help identify and intervene before threats occur. He also addressed federal certification required by the U.S. Department of Education this week and said he signed a required certification that the district is not engaging in racially divisive teaching.
Ragdale also reported the conclusion of an internal review concerning two Campbell High School coaches who had been recommended for nonrenewal. "Based on the results, I recommended coach McClure and coach Gwynn be offered contracts for rehire by the Cobb County School District for school year 2025–26. Both coaches accepted and signed their contracts," Ragdale said. He added that the process that led to the prior recommendation for nonrenewal had been examined and he expected it would not recur.
Ragdale opened his remarks with condolences for recently deceased staff and community leaders and praised district schools that received Math Leader Awards from the state.
The board did not take immediate formal action on the town-hall scheduling at the meeting; Ragdale said district staff would distribute content digitally and that additional public engagement opportunities would be scheduled when it is safe to do so.