Cobb County Schools Superintendent: Kneeling athletes would be benched

If student athletes took a knee during the national anthem, Cobb County Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said “their asses would be benched.”

Ragsdale’s comments came during a leadership meeting at Kennesaw State University on Sept. 15. Several people at the meeting confirm he said it, but won’t go on the record, fearing retaliation.

A Cobb County Schools spokeswoman said Ragsdale would not confirm or comment on his previous statement.

The comments come amid national reaction to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sitting during the national anthem at a preseason game in August, voicing his frustrations over high-profile police shootings involving black victims and white officers.

He’s kneeled at games since. Other professional athletes followed his lead. Student athletes began kneeling as well.

Elsewhere, Fulton County Schools officials won’t confirm whether a teacher was suspended for participating in a Black Lives Matter sit-in at North Springs Charter High School on Sept. 23.

The sit-in was one of several events at metro Atlanta high schools related to race, including a sick-out by about 850 students at Gwinnett County’s Archer High School, who say they missed class because administrators responded slowly to racist comments made by white students on social media.

Also on Sept. 23, some Arabia Mountain High School football players took a knee at their game during the national anthem.