Protesters For, Against In-Person Learning Will Meet In Marietta

Jim Massara
Updated ·2 min read

COBB COUNTY, GA — Demonstrators for and against in-person instruction in Cobb County are expected to meet Saturday morning at a rally in Marietta.

A flyer advertising the rally, circulated on social media and sent to The Marietta Daily Journal by Elaine Burney, says that “our voices were silenced” and “our kids have missed out on ENOUGH!”

The rally is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cobb County Civic Center at 548 S. Marietta Pkwy. SE in Marietta.

In response, Dr. Jaha Howard, a Vinings dentist and a member of the Cobb County Board of Education, promised Tuesday on Facebook to “protest your protest” wearing scrubs and personal protective equipment.

Howard, who contracted COVID-19 along with his wife and children, encouraged organized protest but only toward a common goal.

“Consider directing your frustration toward our national and state leaders who completely DROPPED THE BALL,” Howard wrote. “Like it or not, we are the ones left to fix this … together.”

The planned rally follows a change.org petition demanding in-person instruction in Cobb County’s public schools. As of Wednesday evening, the petition had collected more than 7,200 signatures.

Cobb County Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced on July 16 that classes would resume online only to slow spread of the coronavirus.

Cobb County reported 10,253 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health, ranking it fourth in the state. Cobb also has reported 297 COVID-19-related deaths so far, second only to Fulton County.

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This article originally appeared on the East Cobb Patch