SR 449: Oatts, Dr. Terry O.; congratulate

Senate Resolution 449

By: Senators Anderson of the 43rd and Strickland of the 42nd

A RESOLUTION

Congratulating Dr. Terry O. Oatts upon his retirement from Rockdale County Public Schools after 31 overall years of service to public education, with the last 7 years as Superintendent; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, Dr. Terry O. Oatts served effectively as Superintendent of Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) from May 30, 2018, to February 14, 2025, and

WHEREAS, Dr. Oatts prioritized the safety and well-being of students and staff by proactively implementing multilayered safety enhancement measures, including fortifying point of entry access to schools through the installation of safety vestibules and controlled access, increasing safety personnel throughout RCPS, negotiating the addition of School Resource Officers at RCPS High Schools, leveraging grant funds to upgrade the district's camera surveillance systems, adopting the first student clear book bag requirement in the state, implementing the EPIC Crisis Alert System, requiring a more expansive background check system for all adults who have specific access to students, and being the first district to acquire the state-of-the-art wireless OpenGate Weapons Detection System; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Oatts established continuous improvement as the centerpiece of Rockdale County Public Schools' strategic plan; and

WHEREAS, as superintendent of Rockdale County Public Schools, Dr. Oatts and RCPS have amassed many notable achievements, including but not limited to accelerated Advanced Placement (AP) achievement, a resurgence of students identified as AP Scholars, all three high schools being recognized as AP Honor Schools, a record number of Governor's Honors program (GHP) nominees and semifinalists, rising gifted student eligibility and enrollment, and most notably, increased graduation rates to its highest ever 88.75 percent; and

WHEREAS, RCPS has seen gains on state assessments and exceeded both the region and the state on multiple Georgia Milestones Assessments, including increases in career pathway enrollment, career pathway course offerings, career pathway completion, enrollment in Work-based learning and Youth Apprenticeship programs, and End-of-Pathway Assessment achievement; and

WHEREAS, importantly, RCPS has seen steady gains in its CTAE Graduation Rate with the current rate being the highest ever at 99.5 percent; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Oatts was previously commended for his pandemic leadership, and he has continued to demonstrate calm, consistent, and steady crisis management leadership as evidenced by his handling of the BioLab Fire that prompted environmental safety concerns; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Oatts was in constant communication with intergovernmental partners conveying that RCPS stands ready to support first responders and law enforcement officials in addressing the BioLab crisis; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Oatts authorized the use of numerous buses to aid in the safe relocation of evacuees, dispatched the RCPS Transportation Fleet Director to be on call for any additional transportation needs to assist evacuation efforts, offered to grant access to the county to any RCPS school facilities as a designated evacuation site at the request of the county, and made the decision to close schools and activate virtual learning for two weeks until the immediate environmental challenges abated; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Oatts consistently engaged with various agencies and entities to afford RCPS students, staff, and families additional opportunities to access important resources, he took the lead in collaborating with Georgia Military College that resulted in a satellite campus being established in Rockdale County enabling immediate access to higher educational opportunities for Rockdale County residents; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Oatts saw the need to afford students, staff, and families with accessible healthcare, he partnered with Kids-Docs-On-Wheels to ensure a wide range of mobile medical units and prospective telehealth services were available to deliver vaccinations, immunizations, physicals, specialized screenings, and other healthcare services; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Oatts is retiring after 31 years of continuous service to communities all across the state of Georgia, in Candler County, Glynn County, Gwinnett County, Henry County, Fayette County, and Rockdale County as teacher-assistant, higher education teacher, school counselor, assistant principal, elementary principal, middle school principal, high school principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body congratulate Dr. Terry O. Oatts upon the grad occasion of his retirement and extend sincere best wishes for his future health and happiness.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Dr. Terry O. Oatts.