Cobb County schools responds to petition calling for superintendent's resignation

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - The Cobb County School District responded to a Change.org petition with nearly 5,000 signatures calling for the resignation of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale. 

A district spokesperson released the following statement regarding the petition:

"The Superintendent serves one of the nation’s largest and most recognized school districts, one with over 109,000 students and 18,000 employees, and in a community of over 800,000 residents. The District cannot allow a three-year-old online petition containing baseless allegations from anonymous sources on the internet to affect the District’s important mission and work for Cobb County."     

RELATED: Mask policies for each school district in metro Atlanta

The petition, which gained traction recently, is critical of Ragsdale and Cobb County School District's COVID-19 protocols.

Masks are "strongly encouraged" in Cobb County School District. The district requires the isolation of any student or staff member who tests positive for COVID-19. Students or staff who come in close contact, but are asymptomatic, can report to the school the next day if they remain asymptomatic and wear a mask while on school district property for 10 days after exposure.

COVID-19 Delta variant symptoms: What we know and what to look for

Several metro Atlanta districts are requiring masks in school buildings and on buses at all times. Some have sparked protests to make mask-wearing optional, not mandatory.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vaccinations for all eligible people in schools and mask-wearing in class, regardless of vaccination status. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending that vaccinated people wear masks indoors again in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging and that everyone in K-12 schools wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. 

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