Cobb County Schools See Dramatic Drop In COVID-19 Cases: Ragsdale

MARIETTA, GA — Cobb County schools have witnessed a dramatic drop in positive coronavirus cases over the past month despite not mandating masks be worn in school buildings. But district officials are warning residents not to get complacent because of the dip in cases.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale reported that 94 percent of county schools have reported a drop in COVID-19 cases, which have dropped by 62 percent since Aug.27. The latest numbers, released on Friday, indicate that 394 positive cases among students and staff were reported last week, which is down from 576 the week before.

The new total also represents a drop from the 1,033 confirmed cases that were reported on Aug. 27 when the district started reporting the numbers.

In a presentation to the school board on Thursday, Ragsdale told the board that Cobb County schools — like surrounding districts — have experienced the drop in cases without having a mask or quarantine mandate in place. Ragsdale said that while the district's numbers may not represent as big of a drop as other districts, he said Cobb County schools had the lowest peak number of cases in the Northwest corridor.

"This is what we expected to see last year," Ragsdale said, comparing the drop to a school year when the district required masks. He said that when compared to four other districts — two which required masks, two which were mask-optional, Cobb finished in the middle when it came to the number of new COVID-19 cases.

Ragsdale also said that this year’s numbers are similar to last year when the district had a mask policy in place. Ragsdale told the board that while the district relies on data to drive its COVID-19 policies, a lack of accurate data has been available in painting an accurate picture of the district’s current environment.

“Our CCSD COVID-19 protocol is about much more than masks, as we are not anti-masks,” Ragsdale wrote in a COVID-19 update on the district website on Friday. “We are for effective protocols that are driven by data and minimize disruption to our students.

He added: “Moving forward, we will not assume that better news today means we will not possibly face worse news tomorrow. We are constantly monitoring the situation, and we are committed to analyzing all available data in order to stay ahead of changing events as much as possible.”