PHOTO ABOVE: Signage at the Cobb County School District: Larry Johnson/Cobb County Courier
By Rebecca Gaunt
In a 5-2 vote, the Cobb County Board of Education approved Superintendent Chris Ragsdale’s request for $1.2 million from the district’s fund balance to go to the purchase of five additional vapor wake K-9s and the hiring of five more handlers.
Post 2 and 6 board members Becky Sayler and Nichelle Davis were the dissenting votes after their questions and requests for data went unanswered.
“We’re having more incidents…we had a middle schooler bring a loaded firearm capable of causing tremendous damage. It had a drum clip on the firearm. And so, disappointing is the best term I can apply to that, but also concerning, that middle schoolers are seemingly more part of this phenomenon of bringing a gun to school,” Ragsdale said.
Unlike traditionally trained police dogs, vapor wake K-9s can interact with students. The five additions will circulate at the county’s 26 middle schools.
“It gets us down the road, but not to the end of the road,” Ragsdale said.
Sayler requested to delay the vote until the evening meeting so she could ask questions in the executive session about the logistics of placing the dogs in middle schools and for details on how the dogs played a role in recent events.
“I don’t see a need to delay the vote because the vote is just about us getting additional K-9s. I can tell you, without going into detail, yes they are absolutely successful,” Ragsdale said.
Post 5 board member John Cristadoro asked Ragsdale to reiterate his confidence in the dogs.
“You’ve already said it, but I just want to make sure that you hammer it home. In your professional opinion, is this the best use of funds to protect our students moving forward?” Cristadoro asked.
Davis echoed Sayler’s request to hold the vote so she could ask more questions in executive session. At previous meetings, Ragsdale has been adamant that detailed safety plans not be shared with the public.
“We do have other discussion points that are more appropriate for executive session,” Davis said.
Prior to allowing either of them to call for a motion to postpone, board Chair Randy Scamihorn asked if either of them had spoken to Ragsdale in advance.
Post 4 board member David Chastain was present by phone, and seemed to have difficulty hearing the discussion, asking Scamihorn to summarize issues when asked for his input.
“I do not see any reason to delay the vote. I think it’s fairly cut and dry, and it’s not like it’s something new,” Chastain said, after Scamihorn reiterated the request for him.
Ragsdale appeared frustrated by the request to delay.
“The situation at Wheeler High School has no bearing on this ask whatsoever,” he said.
Two students were arrested for bringing a gun to the school earlier this month.
Davis asked why four more hours mattered if the district was ready to move forward the next day as stated earlier by Ragsdale.
“What is the purpose of rushing the vote right now when we were just given this information and we have additional questions to ask regarding school and student safety?” Davis asked. “We only received this proposal during this meeting.”
School board member Brad Wheeler asked the two women again if they had called Ragsdale in the previous two weeks, saying the information was there.
“The information was not there,” Davis said.
Sayler said she had emailed Ragsdale and did not receive a response.
Ragsdale said her email was not appropriate as it is subject to open records requests.
Cristadoro said he had also been able to reach out and get his questions answered, “but if you guys have super important things to discuss, that you didn’t discuss in the last two weeks, I would say that’s on you…if you want the three hours to ask your questions in private and then come out here and vote for what we know we need.”
The motion to delay the vote failed 4-3 along party lines. Democratic post 3 board member Leroy Tre’ Hutchins voted to delay, but then voted to approve the purchase. It passed 5-2.
The discussion closed with a tense exchange between Scamihorn and Davis telling each other they wouldn’t be lectured.
Ragsdale first presented the vapor wake K-9 program to the board in February 2025. He then requested $2.6 million for additional dogs in November. Sayler requested additional information, including data on the dogs’ successes, at that time, but her request was not granted. Nor was her motion to delay the vote until more information was available. That expenditure was approved 6-1, with Sayler as the only one in opposition.
According to Ragsdale, the district currently has 16 vapor wake K-9s and three other trained police dogs.
View the discussion in full on the district’s website: Watch Meetings Online.