As Cobb County prepares for the significant traffic expected due to the funeral procession of Deputy Brandon Cunningham, killed in the line of duty, local schools are adjusting their schedules to accommodate the anticipated congestion. According to a FOX 5 Atlanta report, Cobb County Schools has announced early dismissals for middle and high school students.
Elementary schools will maintain their regular dismissal times, offering some semblance of normalcy amidst the community-wide mourning. After-School Programs are also set to continue as normal, with no late pickup fees being imposed on Friday, as a gestural nod to the gravity of the day's event. The Cobb Department of Transportation has warned that traffic could be affected for up to five hours and is urging parents to prepare accordingly. “As always, your child’s bus is the easiest and likely fastest route home, especially during high-traffic events,” the district said to Atlanta News First.
Atlanta News First noted that high schools are set to dismiss students at 11:30 a.m., while middle schools will follow at 12:30 p.m. The orchestration of these early releases aims to alleviate the pressures of a transportation grid expected to see significant slowdowns due to Deputy Cunningham's funeral procession.
Deputy Cunningham, 30, who was responding to a domestic violence call, sadly became the first Paulding County deputy to die in the line of duty, according to the sheriff's office. His death spurred an hours-long standoff that concluded when the suspect took his own life. The community is invited to line up for a processional along Marietta/Dallas Highway at 4 p.m., an event for which traffic disruptions are an unfortunate yet necessary by-product. Against the draw of the final farewell to a fallen officer, school officials are urging families to stay informed via communication channels for updates on extracurriculars and athletics that might be affected.
