Safety is a primary concern for Cobb Schools for students, staff, and the entire community. In a district the size of Cobb, with over 113 school buildings, there is much to consider and many moving parts.

But Cobb Schools is much more than its buildings. The District contains 16 high schools with active athletic programs hosting practices, scrimmages, and games throughout the year. Cobb's focus on safety must extend to every area of a school campus.

Two recent additions to high school campuses highlight the District's continued pursuit of a safe and secure environment for everyone.

In partnership with Perry Weather, Cobb School District is installing new weather stations at all high schools. These new weather stations offer the ability to receive real-time weather information for events held on our high school campuses. Installations are scheduled to be completed early next week.

Founded in 2013 by Colin Perry, Perry Weather has over 11 years of experience protecting organizations from hazardous weather. It is trusted by over 1,000 organizations nationwide, including schools, cities, golf courses, and industrial firms. Perry Weather has sent over 50 million alerts to customers for everything from heat stress to lightning.

These weather stations send location-based weather information and automatic alerts aligned with GHSA weather guidelines directly to users' phones and outdoor warning systems. They provide easy and precise monitoring of weather conditions, ensuring safer events. When severe weather or lightning is in the area, users are notified, and a countdown clock lets them know when it is safe to return to play. Other notifications include wind, precipitation, real and feels-like temperature, and Global Wet Bulb Temperature, which are calibrated to comply with GHSA standards.

"We are grateful to have the Perry Weather stations at our schools," said Don Baker, Cobb's Director of Athletics. "The ability to have real-time on-site data allows our coaches, trainers, and athletic directors to stay ahead of incoming weather while also monitoring current conditions with the confidence that the information is accurate to their location."

In addition to the weather stations, the District has also installed dugout netting on all softball and baseball fields.

This new safety feature will protect players from various risks, including errant throws and foul balls, that could enter the dugout during games or practices.

The need for such netting was evidenced recently at the Major League level. Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried was hit in the head by an overthrown ball between innings as he sat on the bench in the dugout.

"At times, those in the dugout areas are not directly watching the field for a variety of reasons. This adds another layer of protection to ensure all players are safe," Mr. Baker said about the new dugout netting.