Current Issues

Research Presentation

• In December of 2020, our team reached out to Randy Scamihorn, David Chastain, David Banks, and Brad Wheeler, the four board members in opposition of a name change, requesting to meet over Zoom. Only then-chair Brad Wheeler responded to our email(s), and we met with him soon after.

• Brad Wheeler suggested that we conduct more research into the naming and history of Wheeler High School to acquire more facts. He advised us to present our findings to the school board, which would provide them with solid evidence on which to take the next steps.

• Following his suggestion, our team spent weeks researching the history of the naming of Wheeler and created a comprehensive presentation.

• We then requested to have our presentation added to the February board meeting agenda, which would allow us to present our findings in full.

*Note: "Items may be placed on the work session agenda by the Superintendent, the Board Chair, or through a request by any four Board members. "

• The new board chair Randy Scamihorn did not approve of this request. Subsequently, we followed up with Brad Wheeler, as the presentation was his recommendation, however; he did not respond to our email or help with this request.

• Charisse Davis, Dr. Jaha Howard, and Leroy Tre' Hutchins have consistently responded to emails and even met with our team on more than one occasion. They have also voiced support for our initiative, however, they alone cannot propel this issue forward due to the 4-3 rule.

• It is unclear why we have not received responses to the multiple emails sent individually to the board members and to the board as a whole. (Specifically from Randy Scamihorn, David Chastain, David Banks, and on occasion Brad Wheeler)

• Our team again requested to present our research during the March and April board meetings. Both times, we were denied.

• In April, after being denied three times, we decided to give our research presentation during the public comment portion of the board meeting. You can watch the 15-person presentation here.

Clear Policies to Rename Schools

• Unlike many other school districts, Cobb County renaming policies only accounts for facilities that have been repurposed.

(https://sbcobbstor.blob.core.windows.net/media/WWWCobb/medialib/fdc-r.ad97d535880.pdf )

• Many other schools in Georgia have outlined clear and comprehensive policies that address situations like ours.

Marietta City Schools renaming policy states:

D. "Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, if the Board names a facility or area within a facility and it is later determined that the individual or entity for whom the facility/area is named was not the type of person that would promote the honor and integrity of the facility or the system as a whole, the Board would have the power to change the name, whether or not a donation had been made."

https://go.boarddocs.com/ga/mcs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=89KL7L8184A5#

• Our board has the power to revise the existing policy and has the model of other Georgia schools to reference in how to do so.

• At this time, the board of education has not outlined a clear path to addressing this issue, nor have they demonstrated interest in learning about the history of Cobb County and the names of schools that resulted from this history.

• To clarify: we have reached out to every member of the board and the ones with which we have corresponded, only reflect those who have responded to our emails.

Committee to Review School Names

• At the August 2020 board meeting, board member David Morgan proposed a committee designed to reevaluate the names of schools within the county. The motion passed with Charisse Davis, Dr. Jaha Howard, David Morgan, and Brad Wheeler voting in favor of the committee. The committee would consist of three board members along with community members.

• In the 1:00 pm work session of the November 2020 board meeting, Brad Wheeler proposed that the previously approved name evaluation committee be dissolved despite obvious support, expressing that he wanted elected officials to make these decisions. However, elected officials would, in fact, be included in the decision-making of this committee. The motion, unfortunately, passed with only Charisse Davis and Dr. Jaha Howard voting against it.

• This committee, which never met, would have allowed for more in-depth research to take place about the history of Cobb County and its schools.

• Addressing student concerns should be a top priority for the board of education. It is also not unreasonable that students should have access to and understand the history of where they live and receive their education.

• Though our team focuses on Wheeler High School, Cobb has more than 100 other schools that also may have inappropriate namesakes.

Russell Elementary School

• Russell Elementary, like Wheeler, is very diverse, with students of color making up 82% of the student body. It was also was named and built in the 1960s.

• The county named the school after Richard B. Russell Jr., who was the 66th Governor of Georgia and represented Georgia in the U.S. Senate. In 1956, he co-authored the Southern Manifesto, an anti-integration response to Brown v. Board of Education. This took place only a few years before the elementary school was named after him. Russell was also a leader in the opposition to the Civil Rights movement and a strong supporter of racial segregation.

• Wheeler is not the only Cobb County school that needs to be reevaluated and renamed.

• This outlines the importance of reinstating the committee to review school names and establishing a clear policy to rename schools.