The Cobb County Board of Education approved $1.2 million on Sept. 17 for five weapons-detecting dogs at middle schools. The 5-2 vote followed a procedural fight over whether board members could ask questions first.
Post 2 board member Becky Sayler and Post 6 board member Nichelle Davis cast the dissenting votes after their requests for data on the program's effectiveness were denied, as first reported by the Cobb County Courier. A motion to delay the vote failed 4-3 along party lines.
The clash matters for East Cobb families: eight of the district's 26 middle schools sit in East Cobb, and the new vapor wake K-9 units will rotate among all 26 campuses. The dogs join 16 already assigned to high schools.
The conflict has roots stretching back months. When Superintendent Chris Ragsdale requested $2.6 million for additional dogs in November 2025, Sayler asked for data on the program's successes. That request was denied, and her motion to delay that vote also failed. The expenditure passed 6-1, with Sayler as the sole dissenter.
This time, Sayler said she had emailed Ragsdale about the proposal but received no response. Ragsdale said her email was not appropriate because it is subject to open records requests.
Before Sayler or Davis could call for a motion to postpone, board Chair Randy Scamihorn asked whether either had spoken to Ragsdale in advance. Board member Brad Wheeler pressed the point, asking the two if they had called Ragsdale in the previous two weeks.
Davis pushed back. "What is the purpose of rushing the vote right now when we were just given this information and we have additional questions to ask regarding school and student safety? … We only received this proposal during this meeting," she said.
Ragsdale framed the purchase as urgent. He cited a gun found at Campbell Middle School in Smyrna on Aug. 11, when a student brought a loaded firearm to campus and a district police officer confiscated it. The district confirmed at the time that vapor wake dogs were stationed at every high school but not at middle schools, according to Atlanta News First.
"We're having more incidents … we had a middle schooler bring a loaded firearm capable of causing tremendous damage," Ragsdale told the board.
Two students were also arrested Sept. 3 for bringing a gun to Wheeler High School. Ragsdale said that incident had "no bearing on this ask whatsoever."
Post 4 board member David Chastain, participating by phone, had difficulty hearing the discussion and asked Scamihorn to summarize the issues. He said he saw no reason to delay.
Post 3 board member Leroy Tre' Hutchins, a Democrat, voted to delay but then voted to approve the purchase. That gave the majority its 5-2 margin.
The meeting closed with a tense exchange between Scamihorn and Davis. Neither backed down, with each telling the other they would not be lectured.
Most of the $1.2 million will come from the district's fund balance, with equipment costs covered by the Cobb Education Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax VI (ESPLOST VI), according to East Cobb News. Chief operations officer Marc Smith said the new dogs could be operational within a couple of months after handlers are hired and trained.
