Superintendent Chris Ragsdale defended the Cobb County School District’s response to recent student walkouts, warning that students leaving campus during the instructional day without supervision is “one of the most dangerous things students can do.”
The walkouts occurred at multiple Cobb County high schools, including McEachern High School, during school hours and were tied to opposition to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. District officials said the demonstrations disrupted instruction and created serious safety concerns.
Related Articles: Cobb Schools Warn Students: Walkout Participation Could Lead to Suspension and Loss of Privileges
Ragsdale Names Outside Political Groups
During remarks at the Cobb County Board of Education meeting, Ragsdale said the walkouts were not student-driven and cited outside political organizations that he said helped promote or support the demonstrations.
Ragsdale specifically named the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Liberation Atlanta, arguing that adult political activists played a role in encouraging students to leave campus during the instructional day.
(Video posted on YouTube by Andrew Register, where a “high school organizer” details how the Sprayberry High School walk-outs were coordinated in active partnership with the Party of Socialism and Liberation, Democratic Socialist of America and the Cobb Democratic party)
According to local reporting, Ragsdale described the walkouts as “actions coordinated by well-funded adults with a specific intent to disrupt public schools” and warned against allowing schools to be used as platforms for outside political movements.
He also addressed First Amendment arguments, stating that while students retain free speech rights, conduct that materially disrupts instruction and removes students from supervised environments is not protected.
District Emphasizes Safety Risks
District leaders stressed that unsupervised walkouts pose real dangers, including traffic exposure, lack of adult supervision, difficulty accounting for students during emergencies, and confusion during rapidly evolving situations.
Administrators emphasized that school campuses are designed to be controlled, secure environments during the instructional day, and that encouraging students to exit those environments undermines established safety protocols.
Ahead of the walkouts, the district notified families that participation could result in disciplinary consequences, including out-of-school suspension and loss of extracurricular privileges. Officials said discipline was based on conduct — leaving class and campus without permission — not on political viewpoint.
Lawmakers Publicly Support Students
Several elected officials publicly opposed the district’s handling of the walkouts.
State Rep. Gabriel Sanchez spoke during public comment at the board meeting, saying the district’s actions created confusion and conflict between students and faculty and did not make schools safer.
Sanchez was also seen on a video posted to social media standing with students during a walkout, signaling visible support for the protest.
State Rep. David Wilkerson likewise appeared in person at McEachern High School during a walkout and posted video footage on his public Facebook page showing students leaving campus during the school day. Students can be heard cheering as Wilkerson filmed and interacted with them. On February 10, 2026, HB 1239 was filed in the state house. Representative David Wilkerson signature as a co-sponsor states that elementary and secondary students should be allowed to be absent to attend a political protest without consequences. A senate version of this same topic was also introduced by former school member and a current member of the Georgia Senate, Jaha Howard.
A failed candidate for the Georgia State Senate, John Williams posted a video of him appearing on the Osborne H.S. campus saying that he was “I am so proud” of the students, while they were loudly chanting. Another defeated candidate and activist, Laura Judge put out a rather lengthy message explaining why she supported the student disruption to the school saying, “I stand with them. Always”. Ms. Judge goes on the claims this, “walkout is student-led.” However, a quick review of the outside groups that Ragsdale refers seems to challenge that notion.
Scamihorn Raises Contradictions at Board Meeting
During the same board meeting, Board Chair Randy Scamihorn raised what he described as a contradiction in the public response to the walkouts.
Scamihorn noted that some of the same individuals who previously appeared at McEachern High School following a shooting to protest concerns about campus safety later supported or encouraged students to leave secured school campuses during the instructional day — removing themselves from the very safety measures those leaders had earlier demanded.
Scamihorn framed the issue as one of consistency, arguing that calls for increased school safety are difficult to reconcile with support for actions that place students outside supervised and a secured environments during school hours.
Legal Context: Speech vs. Disruption
Courts have long held that students retain First Amendment rights at school, but those rights are limited when conduct materially disrupts instruction. Under Tinker v. Des Moines, schools may intervene when student actions interfere with learning or safety.
District officials argue that mass walkouts during class time meet that standard, while critics contend the district should have taken additional steps to accommodate student expression without discipline.
Timeline of Events
- Jan. 27 – District officials receive warnings about potential student protests
- Jan. 28–29 – Families are notified that walkout participation could result in discipline
- Jan. 30 – Students walk out at multiple Cobb high schools
- Feb. 10 – Reports emerge of disciplinary actions and confrontations
- Feb. 12 – Superintendent Ragsdale addresses the board, calling the walkouts dangerous and politically driven
