Newton BOE chairperson tells all By SARAH DAVIS news@covnews.com
Abigail Coggin is a lifelong Newton County resident who has served as the District 5 representative on the Newton County School Board since she was elected in November 2010. She was recently elected as chairperson on Jan. 19, a position she has served in sevCOGGIN eral times during her 11-year tenure. Coggin also serves as operations director at the Arts Association. Coggin ran for the board after former District 5 representative C.C. Bates resigned in July 2010. “The whole reason I ran was because of my kids and just wanting to be involved in their education more so than I already was as a parent,” Coggin said. “ … Politics has always interested me, but the education of my children was most important.” During the pandemic, the board was forced to make decisions on tight deadlines about virtual education and in-person start dates. “We were making decisions very fast — faster than I would have liked to have made,” Coggin said. “But that’s just me, personally. I’m one of these types of people that likes to sit down and think about it and look at all the ramifications of it.” Last fall, the school offered both in-person and virtual options for students. After Christmas, the county saw a spike in COVID-19 cases, causing the board to decide to postpone the start of the spring semester. 14 VISIONS
In-person instruction officially started on Jan. 11. Coggin said that being able to offer an in-person option for kids has been beneficial. “I see a huge difference in kids who I know were struggling with their mental health and things like that,” Coggin said. “Just in the past few weeks, we’ve got kids that come in here at night for classes and their face is just lit up. It’s amazing, to me, how important it is for those interactions and how important in-person is for students.” One of the biggest obstacles for students during virtual school, according to Coggin, was limited internet access in her district. “We just don’t have the infrastructure for WiFi,” Coggin said. “... That was the biggest hurdle for us to have to jump over was providing, getting a WiFi connection for these students to participate in activities.” The school system provided a 1:1 option for students who chose to be virtual. This option allowed students to checkout a device, if needed, that enabled them to fully engage in online learning. Coggin said that this one-to-one check out system is something that will stay in place even after the pandemic. One of Coggin’s main goals entering the position 11 years ago was to see a rise in graduation rates among Newton County students. In the past few years, this is something she said has become a reality. “That’s one thing I’m very proud of,” Coggin said. “I didn’t personally have anything to do with that, necessarily — that
goes to the teachers, your administrators and your superintendent’s leadership. But, that’s one thing that I’m so proud of being able to provide the resources or help to provide them the funds necessary to give back.” However, Coggin said that she fears that the pandemic may have a negative impact on this progress. “It worries me just from my experience in dealing with children in the community not having that face-to-face interaction,” Coggin said. “I know of instances where children are not logged on and our teachers and our staff are having to basically track down to make sure these kids are OK.” Coggin was one of 18 people appointed to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) by Gov. Brian Kemp on Nov. 13. The commission acts as a “regulatory system” for certifying public school employees, according to the GaPSC website. “It’s fascinating to see that side of education and all it takes to oversee teachers,” Coggin said. “It’s a great honor to be a part of that and help out with those standards that teachers have to meet to teach our children.” With reelection coming up in November, Coggin said she is unsure whether or not she will run again. “You hear about some of the negativity that goes on just in general for elected officials … and you just reach that point where it’s just not worth it,” Coggin said. “… But then you look at the kids, and you’re just like, ‘Wow, I helped make that happen. I was a part of that.’” THE COVINGTON NEWS
