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    • Columbia County Schools Move Forward with Campus Safety Improvements
    Massachusetts

    Columbia County Schools Move Forward with Campus Safety Improvements

    Idris Bevan Posted on

    Technology responsible for law enforcement’s rapid response to a recent mass killing at a Georgia school is being installed in Columbia County schools.

    On Thursday evening, about 70 people gathered in the Grovetown High School auditorium to hear from Columbia County school and juvenile justice officials about plans to keep schoolchildren safe.

    Threats against schools and similar disciplinary actions have increased nationwide since the Sept. 4 mass killing at Apalachee High School near Winder, Georgia. A 14-year-old student has been charged in connection with the incident that left two students and two teachers dead and nine others injured.

    In the days following those shootings, Columbia County schools confirmed a series of at least 17 threats and eight student arrests. And in the hours before Thursday’s community forum, two more students were arrested at different Columbia County middle schools — a 16-year-old in connection with a fight at Lakeside Middle School that was captured on video and shared with other students; and an 11-year-old who authorities say brought a knife to school.

    Further arrests: 11-year-old and 16-year-old arrested for separate incidents at Columbia County middle schools

    As part of Apalachee’s emergency safety protocols, Apalachee faculty and staff wore panic buttons that, when pressed, summon police and security to the scene of the accident. This alert system “prevented a much larger tragedy from occurring,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said Sept. 4.

    “We are now rolling out these systems in schools,” said CCSD Police Chief Gary Owens. “They are currently being installed in middle schools. Two of them are currently active.”

    Law enforcement methods need to become more sophisticated as telecommunications technology becomes more sophisticated, he said.

    “It’s a new era,” he said. “As technology continues to advance, it’s becoming much more complex. We’re working with our technology department to make sure we’re up to the challenge.”

    The school district has also hired park rangers to patrol school grounds for suspicious individuals or security gaps that intruders might exploit. The first five rangers currently monitor each of the five high schools in Columbia County. There are plans to have rangers at all schools in Columbia County.

    Another piece of the puzzle to curbing school shootings is more analog in nature: vigilant parents. CCSD official Chris Knoeferl urged parents to watch for new or unusual behavior in their children and not to be afraid to search their children’s rooms and computer histories.

    “Mom, Dad, without you we can’t keep these schools safe,” he said. “We need your help. This is a community effort.”

    The forum, now in its third year, also included presentations on bullying, drugs and gangs.

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    Idris Bevan
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