Republicans on Cobb school board vote to end broadcast of public comments
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
The Cobb County Board of Education will no longer broadcast what the public says to them during their work sessions or regular meetings.
Why it matters: The school board's move is the latest in a series of decisions critics say reduces transparency and limits public feedback of elected officials and the Cobb County School District.
The latest: The board's four Republicans — David Chastain, John Cristadoro, Brad Wheeler and Randy Scamihorn — voted in favor of the policy change.
- Democrats Becky Sayler, Nichelle Davis and Leroy "Tre" Hutchins opposed it.
What they're saying: Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who proposed the policy change, said during Thursday's meeting it will remove the liability of broadcasting comments that could potentially be defamatory or slanderous.
- Ragsdale said the district will still have public comment opportunities for its work sessions in the afternoon and evening meetings and will continue to live-stream both sessions.
- But the district won't broadcast or publish the portion of the meeting that's reserved for public comment.
- Ragsdale said the district has had to edit recordings over concerns about copyright infringement and "tortious" comments.
- "The risk is not necessarily attached to what is said, but the risk is attached to the fact of broadcasting what is said."
Reality check: Richard T. Griffiths, president emeritus of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation, told Axios that Ragsdale's comments about copyright infringement are a "red herring."
- Griffiths also said anyone who brings legal action against the school district over comments made by a member of the public would have to prove that the board and school system organized, promoted or scripted the remarks.
- "What they appear to be doing is totally disrespecting and disregarding those comments and saying to the public, 'we really don't care what you say,'" Griffiths told Axios.
The other side: Several members of the public also spoke in opposition of the rule change. Democratic board members said they were concerned about the message this would send to Cobb parents, students, teachers and stakeholders.
- "I think that public comment being broadcast gives a unique pressure and urgency that gets people a response that sometimes emails have proved unable to do," Sayler added.
Context: Thursday's action is the latest in a series of steps taken by the Republican-led school board to limit how the public can address them, as well as what board members can discuss.
- In 2019, the GOP majority voted to scrap a portion of the meeting where they could talk freely about anything due to concerns that some of the topics were "political."
- In 2021, the GOP-led board limited how many people could speak during public comment and how long they could speak for.
- In 2022, the board started requiring people to sign up in person if they wanted to speak and mandated in 2023 that speakers line up outdoors — rather than inside the lobby — if they wanted to speak.
Zoom out: Nearly all metro Atlanta school districts broadcast public commenters during their board meetings.
- Fulton County schools spokesperson Anne Boatwright told Axios the board's meetings are recorded and live-streamed, but public comments aren't.