Cobb delegation chairman asks for answers on Cobb Schools virtual option policy

Aug. 4—In light of a surge in COVID-19 cases and increasing concern from Cobb Schools parents upset over the district's decision not to let them switch their students from in-person to virtual school, the chairman of Cobb's legislative delegation has penned a letter to Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, asking him to explain that decision.

State Rep. Erick Allen, D-Smyrna, sent the letter to Ragsdale and all seven members of the Cobb school board on Tuesday, saying he'd heard concerns from several parents over the district's mask policy and "the inability for them to change their attendance preference after that decision was made."

"When parents were asked to decide on virtual or in-person learning, the spread of COVID-19 was on the decline and Cobb Schools mandated mask wearing by everyone inside the school," Allen wrote. "2 weeks before the school year started, the mask mandate was lifted but parents were unable to change their selection."

Considering the current rate of virus transmission in Cobb, students already having to quarantine after exposure to the virus at an open house at King Springs Elementary in Smyrna and guidance from public health officials that recommend everyone in schools be masked, Allen said, "some parents would likely make a different choice than they made 3 months ago."

He ends his letter, signing in his capacity as chairman of the Cobb County Legislative Delegation, asking Ragsdale to explain why attendance choice will not be re-opened and whether there are plans to do so.

So far, the district has responded to parent and MDJ requests on the topic with the same statement:

"Recognizing that Cobb families want to be able to choose the learning environment that best supports the needs of their family, it was important to Superintendent (Chris) Ragsdale that all Cobb families were given a choice between face-to-face and virtual classrooms for the upcoming school year," reads a statement from the district. "Establishing a registration process, and deadlines, has allowed our online learning staff to navigate those challenges while ensuring our face-to-face teachers remain focused on their face-to-face students."

Some parents report they are considering or have already pulled their children out of Cobb Schools to enroll in private school or Georgia Virtual Academy.

The district allowed families to register between April 19 and May 2 for either an in-person or virtual school option for the 2021-22 school year. But some parents say they made the choice to send their student back to in-person class during that period when virus cases in the county were relatively low and it appeared things were getting better.

Cobb & Douglas Public Health officials have sounded the alarm in recent weeks, as the COVID-19 Delta variant has prompted a surge in cases and hospitalizations locally.

Guidance from public health director Dr. Janet Memark recommends all students and staff wear masks in schools, regardless of vaccination status. The same guidance is recommended at state and federal levels.

Douglas County Schools recently announced that its schools would be under a mask mandate effective Wednesday and virtual school options would still be available.

While the district updated its COVID-19 protocols on Wednesday afternoon, it did not update its policy on parents' in-person or virtual choice.

In a response letter to Allen, Ragsdale said "because of planning and budgeting needs," the district had to require a hard deadline for parents' choice of school setting.

Follow Thomas Hartwell on Twitter at twitter.com/MDJThomas.