School Safety Committee Recommends Hiring More Police Officers

ALPHARETTA, GA — The Fulton County School Board at its Nov. 6 work session received a report from the district’s School Safety Committee, which is calling on the school system to hire more police officers to protect its students. The committee was created in July in response to national safety incidents as a way for the district to examine ways to improve school safety.

The committee is a cross-functional team of 26 school system leaders, partners and experts from Fulton’s public safety community, and parent representatives from each school board member's district.

Members met four times in August and September to review the district’s current systems, including processes and protocols, and to identify opportunities for improvements and possible investments that would increase safety.

“We believe that Fulton County Schools has some of the most progressive procedures and processes when it comes to school safety,” said Dr. Shannon Flounnory, executive director of Safety & Security. “But as good as that is, we value the unique perspectives of this committee, as well as the opportunity to receive community input, on how we can get even better.”

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here)

Dr. Flounnory presented the committee’s initial recommendations, which include hiring 16 additional school police officers to serve the district’s four learning communities and providing appropriate support equipment. Police officers already are in place at each middle and high school campus, but adding more to the ranks would allow officers to make frequent visits to elementary schools and be available for any situation that arises.

Other recommended investments include adding 10 campus security associate positions – non-sworn personnel that assist in securing schools and buildings – to the FCS Department of Safety & Security. These people could assist with monitoring video surveillance systems around the district during the school day and after hours.

Wesley McCall, Apharetta Department of Public Safety's deputy director, served on the committee and shared his views with the school board.

“Everyone had the same goal – to improve the safety of the students and staff. No one ever took the opportunity to interject their own agenda, but took the time to listen and learn from what others had to say. It was very professional and mission focused,” said McCall. “I hope this is just the start of several future courageous conversations about school safety.”

The committee also recommended adopting resources for an online mental health resource center. Already in use in many large school districts with similarities to Fulton County, the websites provide 24/7 access to videos and other resources for students and families suffering from depression, suicidal ideation, bullying, peer pressure and other mental health issues. The resources don’t replace counselors or other mental health professionals, but instead provide an alternate way to provide support to students and staff.

The total investments recommended are:

The Fulton School Board is expected to vote on these recommendations at its Thursday, Nov. 15, meeting for possible inclusion in the current year’s budget.

Image via Shutterstock