Board Business Briefs: School Board Hears Back-to-School Readiness Reports

The Cherokee County School Board at its regular meeting on Thursday, July 24, 2025, heard the annual back-to-school readiness report, highlighting how district and school staff have prepared for the return of students, and the semi-annual Safety & Security report, outlining further enhancements completed for this school year.

The meeting began with a work session at 5:30 p.m., which is the new start time for this monthly session, followed by the regular business meeting at 7 p.m.  Both were livestreamed via YouTube, and the videos are archived on the CCSD website in the Board of Education area online here.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL READINESS REPORT

During the work session, the school board heard the annual back-to-school readiness report, outlining the work by district and school staff over the summer break in preparation for the reopening of schools for classes on Friday, Aug. 1.

Highlights of the report included reports on staffing, with 99.9% of teacher positions filled, leaving only three teachers to be hired; 96.5% of support staff positions filled, including 97.6% of bus drivers and 100% of police officers; and more than 700 active substitute teachers ready to work this school year.

Reports were shared on successful preparations to ensure all schools are safe, well-lit, and clean, as well as on the completion of major construction projects opening Aug. 1 including the new replacement Free Home ES; classroom additions at Creekland MS and Creekview HS (construction of a second gym at Creekview HS will be completed later this fall at the same time the renovation of an existing hall will be completed); and the improved car rider driveway at Teasley MS.  The Teasley MS driveway improvements not only ease congestion for current car riders but also pave the way for better traffic flow with the opening of the neighboring new replacement Cherokee High School campus next school year; a separate bus entrance will be completed this fall.

All 472 school buses passed state inspection and are ready to roll, CCSD school police officers participated again this summer in multi-agency training exercises, and all student and teacher technology is ready for use.  More information about summer break work by support staff to prepare for the new school year is posted online here.

All Principals have been trained on updates to the Code of Conduct, which sets behavior expectations for students in schools, classrooms, on school buses, and during school activities.  The Code of Conduct’s standard expectations for student attire and for student use of cell phones and other personal digital devices introduced last school year are continuing without changes.  This school year’s changes include enhanced consequences for students who bring vapes to school and for students who make threats, and better clarity and consistency for elementary school student behavior incidents.  The Code of Conduct is posted online here.

To comply with newly enacted state legislation, the School Board Policy for student absences, which is online here, is changing for this school year.  Among the changes: 

• Students with five (a change from seven) or more unexcused absences in a class per semester will be referred to the school social worker and the school attendance review team for truancy evaluation;
• On the seventh unexcused and 10th (a change from 15th) excused or unexcused absence, a referral to the school social worker will be filed.  New this school year, every subsequent unexcused absence will constitute a separate offense and intensify interventions; and,
• After the fifth (a change from seventh) unexcused absence, or total of 10 accumulated absences (new this school year), a school-based attendance intervention meeting will be conducted.

Schools are on track with student homeroom assignments and class schedules, with release scheduled for Aug. 28 (middle and high schools) and Aug. 29 (elementary schools) digitally via ParentVUE as well as in-person at school open house and walk-through events.

Significant work has occurred over the past year, from the board room to the classroom, to prepare for the roll-out of new instructional resources -- textbooks, workbooks and digital resources -- for kindergarten through 12^th-grade English language arts and math classes districtwide. 

Teacher resources were distributed prior to summer break along with initial professional development sessions, with student resources delivered to schools over the summer and additional teacher training scheduled for pre-planning next week.

These resources, invested in by the School Board in response to feedback from teachers and parents, are tightly aligned to the state standards for student learning, which have been customized with teacher input as the CCSD Teaching & Learning Standards that are posted online here.  A list of board-adopted instructional resources can be found online here.

As the school year begins, teachers will provide students and families with more detail about the resources they will use for each class, such as which resources should come back to school in their backpack each day.  The resources are from Savaas Learning Company for English language arts K-12 and math K-8 and from Cengage Learning for algebra, geometry, and advanced algebra.

In addition to new printed resources providing parents with a stronger way to connect learning from the classroom to the kitchen table, parents soon will have another resource to help with homework: online resources posted by teachers for each class in Canvas and organized in a format that families can follow.

Comprehensive back-to-school information for parents, including how to look up bus stop locations, school meal information, a schedule of school open house/walk-through events and more, is included in the current CCSD Connections newsletter posted online here.

School Board members thanked staff for the significant work that has occurred over the summer break to prepare for the new school year.

School Board member Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison relayed appreciation for the Technology division’s work to prepare teacher access to the student information system in time for pre-planning.  “Hats off to all of you – we really appreciate all that hard work,” she said.

School Board member Erin Ragsdale praised the work by Academics & Accountability to develop the “teacher toolbox” of online resources to support their instruction.

“I would have loved to have had something like that back when I was first starting” to teach, she said.  “I know that it took a lot of work to do, and I know that you all are still planning out for even additional items in that that toolbox …  I’m just really excited for it and I’m really thankful for the work you all did on that.”

School Board member Kelly Poole noted how much she appreciates the online bus stop look-up tool for parents (online here) and both Board Chair Janet Read Welch and Vice Chair Patsy Jordan shared words of encouragement for students, parents, and teachers.

SAFETY & SECURITY REPORT

CCSD Police Chief Buster Cushing gave the district’s first semi-annual safety and security report for the new school year, a practice that began last school year in response to community recommendations for more regular updates.

There is nothing more important than ensuring CCSD students have the best education in the safest schools possible, Chief Cushing said.  He reviewed the school district’s three-pillar approach to safety and security: prevention, preparation and response, and then detailed recent improvements as well as enhancements the School Board has invested in over the years.

School Board member Chance Beam shared his appreciation for CCSD Police officers and all that they do.

“They have a daunting task throughout the year of obviously keeping our schools safe during the day and, if you’re ever at an afterschool event, you’ll see the same guy that’s been there since probably dark-thirty in the morning, he’s there to shut it down,” he said.  “I want to make sure we let those guys know how much we appreciate all that they do and keeping us all safe.”

The full report is published online here.  An updated CCSD Safety & Security video for this school year, which gives an overview of the department and its approach, was shown during the meeting and now is posted online here. 

Highlights from the report include:

• The improved ratio of two POST-certified police officers at each multi-building high school campus, one officer at each other high school and middle school, and one officer per every two elementary schools, and the addition for this school year of one campus security monitor to each of the three high schools with multiple buildings (Cherokee HS, Etowah HS, Sequoyah HS) to support police officers;
• The purchase of body cameras to equip all school police officers with this equipment, now considered standard in law enforcement.  Body cameras improve safety response, trust and transparency, and their usage maintains the CCSD Police Department’s state certification.  The use of body cameras is governed by strict policies and state laws to protect everyone’s privacy and typically will be activated during specific situations to ensure students’ rights are respected while maintaining a secure environment; 
• The completion of projects to expand school exterior window security film installation and enhance police radio communications systems, and continued work to upgrade security camera capabilities, including live-feed emergency access for the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office in the event of an incident; and,
• The work underway to review additional possible safety enhancements including: the review and consideration of a future installation of stop-arm cameras on school buses to identify drivers who illegally pass stopped buses that are actively loading or unloading students; developing emergency response guides for every classroom; and beginning school-based safety and security advisory groups.

School Board member Patsy Jordan asked for clarification about the number of incidents of drivers who illegally pass stopped buses.  Chief Cushing shared that the Transportation department conducts an annual audit during which all CCSD bus drivers on the same day record how many drivers illegally pass their stopped bus while students are loading and unloading.  During last school year’s audit, 262 drivers illegally passed CCSD’s bus drivers in one day.

The video, in addition to outlining the department’s three-pillar approach to safety, also reminds parents of the types of lockdowns used in emergencies and that schools practice how to respond to emergencies, including severe weather, fires, and lockdowns, through regular drills for students and staff.

A Code Red is a complete lock-down of the school; no one is permitted to enter or exit the building.  A Code Yellow is for law enforcement activity in the vicinity of the school that poses no immediate threat to the school.  During a Code Yellow, outdoor activities are discontinued while typical operations continue inside the school; no one is permitted to enter or exit the building.  Schools notify parents when either of these codes are activated; more information is online here.

The School Board also:

• Heard a report from Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Owen on the work to achieve third‐party validation of floating homestead exemption projections, which was directed by the School Board on March 28.  The firm STA PLLC was awarded the work in response to CCSD’s formal solicitation process.  The initial agreed-upon cost is $18,000, but is subject to increase, depending on the final scope of work.  The firm’s review work is underway, with a final report anticipated at the Aug. 21 School Board meeting.  School Board member Rick Steiner asked who the firm reports to, and Mr. Owen said the firm would make its report to the board;
• Heard a report from Chief of Staff Mike McGowan on the district’s continued efforts to comply with House Bill 845, including conducting already scheduled audits -- reports from these then will be provided to the School Board and local legislative delegation and continue to be posted on the district website.  He noted the eagerness of the district to be in compliance with the law, and that the district is just awaiting from the delegation the list of companies or individuals eligible to perform the requirements of the legislation, as well as a timeline for that work.  The cost to the district is yet to be determined.  Ms. Ragsdale spoke to the board’s readiness to work with the delegation: “We really are trying to be in complete compliance.  We’re ready and willing to work with them in any way we can.”
• Heard a June School Board Training Recap by Chair Read Welch, who thanked the board, Superintendent and her staff for their work to support the training session.  The session focused on updating the governance team’s communications practices, and the Georgia School Boards Association provided training as the School Board advances effective governance practices;
• Reviewed the School Board Meeting Calendar for the 2025‐26 fiscal year/school year, which is online here;
• Heard the monthly capital outlay report, which is online here.  All projects, including construction of the new replacement Cherokee HS campus and improvements to the River Ridge HS and Sequoyah HS campuses, are on schedule and within budget;
• Heard a report on Mr. Beam’s proposal the board consider a single districtwide provider for school athletic uniforms and apparel, with the use of the provider optional for schools and teams.  The board reached consensus that the Superintendent should conduct a request for proposals for providers.  “This could potentially be a savings for parents,” Chair Read Welch said.
• Recognized Georgia Association for Career and Technical Educators’ Georgia New Teacher of the Year Award winner Etowah HS aerospace science instructor U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. (Ret.) Ciarra Malto.  Learn more here;
• Recognized Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce “Top 10 in 10” honoree Indian Knoll ES teacher Dr. Chelsea Leming.  Learn more here;
• Recognized 2025 Pine Bluff Landfill/ WM Scholarship winner River Ridge HS Class of 2025 graduate Chaselynn Higgins. Learn more here;
• Recognized CCSD School Nutrition on earning the USDA Turnip the Beet Gold Award for the excellence of its program to feed students nutritious and delicious meals over summer break.  Learn more here;
• Recognized CCSD Communications on earning five National School Public Relations Association Awards for excellence in communications and community engagement.  Learn more here;
• Approved the final reading of annual updates to School Board Policies, which are online here.  These include changes to policies for: board meeting agenda structure, use of body cameras by school police officers, medical leave for employees, responsible use of artificial intelligence tools by students and employees including administrative guidelines, records required for student enrollment, and what students are considered “homeless students” and provided additional services.
• Approved the first reading of an update to School Board Policy JBD: Absences and Excuses, which is online here, to comply with newly enacted state legislation;
• Approved recommended proposed members for the district tribunal panel for hearings for students and teachers;
• Approved the Local School Board Governance Training Plan for the 2025-26 school year;
• Approved a new Partnership Agreement with Cherokee Youth Foundation and renewals of Partnership Agreements with The Marine Corps League and Walden University; and,
• Approved the monthly human resources employment recommendations including the appointment of Austin Richards as Director of Information Security.  An 18-year information security professional, Mr. Richards is a U.S. Air Force veteran and currently serves as supervisor of cybersecurity operations for Georgia System Operations Corporation.