Controversial parent involvement proposal defeated

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - A controversial proposal linking extra student curricular activities to parent participation at Pebblebrook High School was defeated Thursday night.

Board member David Morgan had proposed removing students from extracurricular activities like band, JROTC or sports, if their parents did not participate in parent teacher conferences or other activities connected to their children's education.

He said it would have started with next year's ninth grade class and increased a grade every year. Morgan said parents could be involved in person, by telephone or digitally.

However, opponents were the majority of speakers before the Cobb County School Board.

Chuch Stines, the former head football coach at Pebblebrook High School told the board members why take away extracurricular activities from productive school citizens just because they are the child of an uninvolved parent.

Others likened the proposal to punishing the students for the sins of their parents.

After public input the board heard one more time from an impassioned Morgan but defeated the proposal, with Morgan and another board member voting for it.

Board Member David Banks said the message for the South Cobb area is parents need to get involved.