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Public commenters raise personnel, telehealth, AI and STEM certification concerns
Summary
During public comment, a teacher contested a termination recommendation, a telehealth vendor proposed a school-based pilot, parents and students urged clarity on AI use and STEM certification status, and a parent requested open-records clarification for a wellness report.
Several members of the public addressed the board during the March 11 public comment period, raising personnel, health, technology and transparency concerns.
Raymond Watson, a district teacher since 2018, said he received a recommendation for termination and described the process as abrupt and isolating; he urged the district to consider the full record and said he wants to return to his students if appropriate. Watson said he had been removed from his classroom and placed out of contact since Jan. 23 and sought a fair hearing of the facts.
Jennifer Murphy, business and sales development lead with the Global Partnership for Telehealth (GPT), asked the district to consider piloting school-based telemedicine in partnership with GPT and CareSource to provide timely primary care services, reduce emergency-room visits for routine care, and improve attendance. She requested a planning meeting to discuss implementation for the next school year.
Student speaker Zebedee Ringman raised concerns about the use of AI in classrooms, arguing AI can generate entire assignments and that district policy should ensure AI does not substitute for student effort; he urged balanced rules to preserve student learning and fairness.
Parent Joseph Schwarz questioned the public disclosure and timeline around the state STEM certification status of a STEM Academy program, saying the school's last full certification was in 2018 and expressing concern that re-certification appears delayed; he asked when the status changed, whether state funding was affected, what standards were unmet, and why the public was not notified sooner. Schwarz also raised concerns about district use of HMH's Writable product for feedback and grading.
Angelisa Bryant praised Coastal Middle School educators and asked about the location of documents used to create a wellness report, citing Georgia open-records timelines and requesting clearer access to the records.
Board response and next steps: Public comments were heard; several speakers said they would provide written materials. The board did not take immediate action on personnel matters raised in public comment; telehealth proponents requested follow-up meetings with district staff; district staff committed to follow-up on records requests and transparency questions.
