u/SirNo8023

Cobb has spent millions and millions on preventing weapons from being brought into their schools (besides actual weapon detection at entrances). How are they going to explain this? What about Servius Group's military style surveillance being used to identify potential threats before they get this far? When are parents and community members going to demand transparency on the amount of money they're using and the data/research to back it up? With so many kids privacy rights in question with the type of surveillance being used, this needs some real answers.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt. This child who brought the gun to school slipped through the cracks of this multimillion dollar investment. They should have had the help they needed before getting this far.

Wtf is happening in Cobb schools? Apparently they hired this company called Servius to conduct military style surveillance on its students to try and identify threats- school shootings, gang related activity, human trafficking, before they happen.

This article from GovTech is from 2024 and the AJC has done some reporting since then as well (paywall articles), but other than that this is weirdly not really being discussed much online. The company is made of former military and intelligence personnel, and they have never done any type of work with students before. Their original purpose was travel security for the ultra wealthy. CCSD is the only school district in the US or anywhere it has ever worked with.

The superintendent, Ragsdale, contracted with the company after State Representative Devan Seabaugh introduced them. He bypassed a school board vote and a couple of the board members raised questions that he wouldn't answer. Parents, journalists, lawyers, watch dog groups, and privacy advocates have all tried to get answers from Ragsdale and everyone is shut down. Getting public records has even turned into having to pay $1,000s+ to get a document that has been mostly redacted.

Anyway, I found out about this and went down a major rabbit hole about how fucked up it seems. Parents have no clue what data about their kids this company actually has, what exactly they're tracking-they call it online "digital dust" but what does that even mean? How their AI identifies concerning behaviors. When they do flag students, do parents get notified? Who sees their data? What happens to the kids who get flagged? What happens if they incorrectly flag someone? I mean holy crap the list of questions is so long. Parents keep trying to get answers, but even after almost 2 years and a new school year, they're left with a vague PR version of info from Ragsdale. He's spent over $3.5mil on this company so far.

Why are they being so hush hush about it? Like the company wouldn't even identify it's name at the original school board meeting. The AJC had to investigate to figure it out. Then North Dakota used the company to figure out why a Chinese agribusiness company attempted to buy 370 acres of agricultural land. ND then posted the names and backgrounds of some of its employees, which Servius wanted to remain anonymous.

Does anyone know about this? I've looked into some watch dog groups that have been consistently trying to fight this, but the loopholes being used to bypass privacy laws are shocking. Parents have to be pissed/concerned? Especially after the Trump visit that happened there and that whole controversy. Man, Cobb has some shady stuff happening. I'm not even sure I explained enough to get into all the crazy details of this, but man, I feel bad for those kids.

Hey Athens! I'm trying to help my step-dad find an EMDR therapist who is certified and specializes in veterans/military.

He's a Vietnam Marine vet and is all connected with the VA and his doctor/coordinator, but I want to see about interviewing some therapists before the VA just sticks him with someone. He struggles with survivors guilt and PTSD, so he definitely needs a therapist he feels safe with who truly understands the complexities that come with this trauma.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

Marietta/East Cobb guys: where do you get your hair cut? How much do you pay/tip?

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Not looking for ads, just genuinely curious where people actually go regularly.

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Just trying to get a feel for what's popular around here.

Looking for input from East Cobb parents, especially those with children in special education.

We're starting to explore elementary school options and I'd love to hear about your experiences with special education programs in East Cobb schools.

I'm less interested in overall school ratings and more interested in the quality of the special education department itself.

Some things I'm curious about:

• How responsive and collaborative is the IEP team?

• Do staff genuinely listen to parent concerns?

• How strong are communication systems between school and home?

• Are services actually being delivered consistently?

• How experienced are the special education teachers and support staff?

• How well do general education and special education staff work together?

• Does the school support AAC users and other communication needs?

• How do they handle behavioral supports and sensory needs?

• Are students encouraged to build independence and self-advocacy skills?

• Do you feel your child is known, understood, and supported as an individual?

If you're comfortable sharing, I'd love to know:

- Which elementary school your child attends/attended

- What disability supports your child receives (as much or as little detail as you'd like)

- What the school does particularly well

- Any concerns or challenges you've experienced

Thank you! Real parent experiences are incredibly helpful as we try to learn more about the different programs available.

Feel free to DM me if you don't want to post publicly.