McEachern High School shooting: Parents demand action of Cobb County School Board
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - McEachern High School parents and guardians voiced their concerns in front of Cobb County School Board members for the first time since the Feb. 1 shooting on the campus.
Both at the afternoon work session and the regular board meeting, parents demanded changes be made to keep their children safe at school.
"Our objective is to seek resolution, action to shield our children from further harm," said parent Lola Adesanya.
"I urge the school board to take immediate action," said another parent.
Shooting at McEachern High School
A fight broke out in the parking lot of McEachern High School. In a video that circulated on social media, two people can be seen fighting and eventually, it escalated into gunfire. That video is now part of the investigation being conducted by the Cobb County Police Department.
Two people were shot in the violence and three people have been arrested.
"It's extremely alarming and disheartening to know our children aren't safe at their own school," said a parent.
Since the shooting, board member Tre' Hutchins has held two town halls which were packed with concerned parents. They talked about their worries and came up with suggestions to make schools safer.
Student, Sadie Booker, made some suggestions to the school board.
"We want answers, but mostly we want solutions, whether that be random Code Red drills, metal detectors, closing and keeping watch of entry points, and students having direct contact to the school board," said Booker.
Cobb County superintendent responds to school safety concerns
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the Cobb County School District is one of the safest districts.
"There's always been a safety plan for all schools, including McEachern, and that plan was followed Feb. 1," said Ragsdale.
He also said there had been additional plans for safety in the works well before the shooting, but those plans are not discussed in open meetings for security reasons.
Parents and guardians pack a Cobb County School Board meeting following the shooting at McEachern High School to address safety concerns on Feb. 29, 2024.
"Whatever you have to do for the kids and the staff to be safe, that's what you should do," said Delina Hill, who is a parent.
Ragsdale said anyone who is interested in learning more about safety plans that can be discussed in public, can read about them online at CobbShield.com.