Cobb school board won’t livestream public speakers anymore

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the move would make meetings more efficient and remove liability for the state’s second-largest school system.

“When you broadcast, you assume risk,” Ragsdale said Thursday. “The district has had to interrupt speakers and edit recordings due to legal concerns.”

The three Democrats on the board voted against the change, but could not overcome the Republican majority.

“I want to apologize,” said Leroy “Tre’” Hutchins, the board’s longest-serving Democrat. “I just feel like us moving forward with the changes that we’re implementing will erode the trust that we have attempted to gain with our community.”

Those who asked the board to keep livestreaming said it’s important for community engagement, builds trust and creates a sense of urgency and pressure on elected officials that sending an email wouldn’t.

“I come today to ask you to abandon this proposed harmful policy change that will silence dissent, erase public accountability and shield members from criticism,” said state Rep. Lisa Campbell, D-Kennesaw.

The updated policy prohibits comments that are “tortious,” in addition to slanderous or defamatory, about an identifiable employee. It takes out a notice that public commentary may be broadcast live, either on the district’s TV channel or on its websites. And it allows district leaders to indefinitely ban people from public meetings if they violate the policy, depending on the infraction.

Georgia law requires that the public have access to meetings that are open to the public, and that video and audio recording be permitted.

Ragsdale said Cobb “goes above and beyond” other Georgia school systems by broadcasting its meetings at all, and for offering two opportunities for public comment when the board meets.

The nearby Fulton County School District also livestreams its meetings on its website, but omits the public comment portion.

How the district handles public speakers has long been controversial.

In 2021, the district set limits on the number of people who could speak at a meeting and the length of time each speaker could address the board. In 2022, it began requiring those who wanted to speak to sign up in person before the meeting, rather than online. In 2023, it further changed its practices, now requiring those who want to speak to line up outside rather than in the lobby.

The district’s public comment practices are also at the center of an ongoing lawsuit. Two Cobb County parents have accused district officials of keeping them from signing up for public comment at a meeting because of what they intended to say, according to a federal lawsuit filed late last year.