The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shaq promises active role in sheriff’s office
NBA Hall of Famer shoots for expanding community outreach.
In his long, varied and well-publicized career in the spotlight, Shaquille O’neal has consistently supported and embraced law enforcement. Now, as a resident of Henry County, he is again aligning himself with the local sheriff ’s office.
But his role as director of community relations will be much more than ceremonial, the basketball Hall of Famer said Friday.
job title includes attending weekly meetings and I’ll definitely be there. I have an office right across the street,” O’neal said from the parking lot of A Friend’s House, a foster home associated with the Henry County Sheriff ’s Office. “I have a key card,” he added, holding up his ID badge that all Henry County sheriff’s office employees use to access the facilities.
O’neal’s new position with the sheriff ’s office is supported by his foundation and the Pepsi Stronger Together program, a community outreach initiative sponsored by the global soft drink brand. Their first project involved outfitting A Friend’s House with new beds and new TVS, O’neal said, with more improvements planned.
district keeping an in-person learning option available to students.
Callie Garcia, an educator and mother of three children who attend district schools, told The Atlanta Journal-constitution that she knows teachers who have chosen to resign because they don’t have the option to teach virtually.
“That’s something that’s very heartbreaking to me,” she said, adding she’s taught second grade for 16 years.
Along with the three educator deaths, two teachers — Jacob Furse and Julia Varnedoe — were diagnosed last month with COVID-19. Furse, a Garrett Middle School teacher, and Varnedoe, who teaches gifted students at Mount Bethel Elementary School, are both recovering at home.
On Jan. 15, the district canceled in-person learning this week due to the high number of students and staff with COVID-19 or in quarantine due to being exposed to the coronavirus.
As of Thursday, Cobb County had 47,106 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 638 deaths and 2,530 hospitalizations, according to the Georgia
Department of Public Health. The two-week case number, an indicator of how prevalent COVID-19 is in the community, for Cobb County is 867 per 100,000, DPH’S website shows. Anything higher than 100 cases per 100,000 people is considered by public health officials as high community spread.
Along with keeping classrooms closed until coronavirus case numbers begin to drop, educators who spoke Thursday night want the school system to let teachers with preexisting conditions teach from home. Educators should be given the option of teaching either remote-only students or pupils who are
in the classroom, they said.
Connie Jackson, president of the Cobb County Association of Educators, said teachers showed up to the protest “because they are scared, they are mad and they are angry.”
Jackson also said it’s time for Ragsdale and school board members to talk publicly about COVID-19’S effect on the district.
“Employees are at their breaking point,” she said. “They have been scared for too long that it’s turning into anger.”
Cobb school board members and Ragsdale, during Thursday’s work session, did not mention the spike in COVID-19 cases, its effect on schools or concerns expressed by teachers and parents.
Board member Dr. Jaha Howard asked if Ragsdale could talk more about student and staff safety surrounding COVID-19, but the superintendent said he did not have anything he’d like to share. He added that any district changes will be communicated to the public and staff.
“Obviously all of our executive cabinet members are open to conversations (with board members) at any point in time,” Ragsdale said.
Howard said the lack of discussion was “embarrassing” since many parents and teachers have been asking about the district’s COVID19 response.
Howard and board member Charisse Davis spoke briefly with educators before Thursday’s meeting. Howard said he wanted teachers to know that “we are listening” to their concerns. He said both he and Davis agree that schools “belong to the people,” and that teachers should continue to make their voices heard.
“This has been a heartbreaking day,” he said. “What we are experiencing is nothing compared to the families that have lost their loved ones today.”