ATLANTA — In a key ruling on Friday, the Superior Court of Cobb County, Georgia, reversed the Cobb County Board of Education’s decision to expel a Black middle school student who was unlawfully expelled under a school disruption rule. The student, identified as G.D. and represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), challenged the expulsion after hearing of a threat to several Cobb County schools and warning two friends of the perceived danger. His warning came two days after the Apalachee High School shooting, the deadliest in Georgia’s history, when many copycat threats were rampant on social media and across Georgia.
“Once again, the Cobb County Board of Education unlawfully expelled a Black child with a disability,” said Mike Tafelski, interim deputy legal director, SPLC. “Our client should never have been villainized, removed from his middle school for a year, or been forced to retain legal counsel to defend his right to learn. The real threat to school safety and Cobb County students is the board’s unlawful and discriminatory enforcement of its disciplinary policies which actively harm students of color and students with disabilities across this community. And instead of acknowledging that harm and changing its practices, the board doubled down by spending thousands of taxpayer dollars on lawyers to fight students in courtrooms instead of supporting them in classrooms. This case, along with the hundreds of other children who are expelled in Cobb County each year, should alarm every community member committed to equity and justice in our schools.”
Cobb County School District suspends and expels a disproportionately high number of students of color and students with disabilities. While students with disabilities make up 16% of the district, they account for 32% of suspensions and expulsions. Black students are similarly overrepresented, facing suspensions and expulsions at a rate 14% higher than their share of the student population. More than 700 Cobb County students are typically referred for expulsion each year — far above the state average.
“Instead of investing in the classroom and giving students the support they need to succeed, the district wastes resources on lawyers and legal battles to push students out. This is more than mismanagement; it’s a failure of leadership and a betrayal of the students who need schools to protect and empower them. Cobb County students and families deserve leaders who prioritize fairness and fact over punishment and pushout,” concluded Tafelski.
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About the Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people. For more information, visit www.splcenter.org.