The Cobb County school authority will no longer stream public comments in meetings

Atlanta, GA. (Atlanta News First) – The school district Cobb County changes the way people work together with school authorities by no longer roaming the public commentary live.

The decision was made in 4 to 3 votes during the board meeting on Thursday evening. The public will still have the opportunity to hear their voices during the personal meetings, but the section is not broadcast as many people have been used to since pandemic.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale emphasized the additional protective layer against legal liability.

“The district had to interrupt the spokesman and records based on legal concerns such as copyright violations or other questions of intellectual property or an unauthorized language,” he said.

Ragsdale said he also heard of parents who were afraid of speaking because of the online presence.

“You do not want to be exposed to internet. Misuse or doxxing. Some people are just shy and do not register to speak because they don't want to appear in one show,” he said.

But some are pushing back in the community. Fifteen people spoke out of the podium on Thursday and expressed their frustration – including Melissa Hagan, a busy mother of three children.

“I rely on the livestreams of these sessions to stay up to date, to stay committed and to understand how the decisions are made that affect my children directly,” she told the board. “End the live stream of public comments that trust and signal that community votes will be managed and not welcomed.”

“There is no good thing that has ever emerged from the discouraging civil discourse to create a society that works for all of us and not just for some of us,” said Jenna Nelson, another spokesman.

In the end, the board passed the measure, whereby Ragsdale emphasized the additional protective layer against legal liability.

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