Public commenters press Cobb board on special-education staffing, book removals, ICE policy and disability protections

Speakers during the public comment period at the Feb. 13, 2025, Cobb County Board of Education meeting urged the district to address understaffed special-education classrooms, called for restoration of specific library titles, sought clarity on district procedures for federal immigration agents, and warned about threats to 504 and ADA protections.

Tova Ringlin, who said she was speaking as a "special needs mom," described years of understaffed classrooms for her son and said the Georgia Department of Education concluded the district had violated her son's right to a free appropriate public education by not following his 30-day intervention plan. "The moral of this story is that classrooms need to receive staffing and support to meet the students' needs," she told the board, and thanked county special-education parent mentors for support. Ringlin's comments were framed as a personal account of her family's experience and a call for the district to staff classrooms to meet students' needs.

Sharon Hudson addressed the board about book removals and what she described as censorship. Hudson said she was "surprised" the board recognized school counselors given prior votes on counselor funding, and argued that the district's actions on some titles had been inconsistent with literary value standards she described under the Miller test. She requested that the board return Jay Asher's novel Thirteen Reasons Why to media centers, saying the book "passes the Supreme Court's Miller test" and that it can prompt conversations counselors could use.

Tracy O'Connor said she sought clarity on Cobb County Schools' policy for handling visits from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. O'Connor asked whether the district has a written policy that specifies what staff should do if ICE or another federal agency comes to a school, whether staff have been trained on that policy, whether the policy is available online, and whether the district plans to write such a policy if one does not exist.

Jennifer Susco accused the district communications team of "violating First Amendment rights, breaking laws" and of orchestrating events to "cause fireworks, not for safety," and said she had compiled records she said showed the communications teammoved the line to cause disruptions. She also criticized the installation of a metal detector and alleged unequal treatment of safety requests across the county.

Michael Garza spoke about proposed changes to 504 protections and federal oversight. He warned that the state and incoming federal leadership changes could reduce protections for students with disabilities and urged local leaders to ensure adequate support for students. "Instead of telling students what they can't do, we should be providing our students with the support they need to realize their full potential," Garza said, referencing personal examples and local cases he said demonstrated the need for stronger supports.

The chair read the board's public-comment rules at the start of the period: comments are not interactive, board members will not respond during public comment, and personal student or personnel matters are not allowed. The record shows the board did not respond directly to these public comments during the meeting.