Committee proposes more police

School board plans to vote Nov. 15 on safety recommendations.

Fulton County Schools could hire 16 more school police officers and invest in online mental health services in response to safety concerns.

The school board plans to vote Nov. 15 on a host of recommendations made by a safety committee. The district formed the committee in July, after a series of high-profile school shootings including one in Parkland, Fla. The task of the 26-member committee made up of district leaders, public safety officials and parents was to find ways to make schools safer.

“We believe that Fulton County Schools has some of the most progressive procedures and processes when it comes to school safety,” said Shannon Flounnory, executive director of safety and security, in a written statement. “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.”

The plan calls for the district to hire 16 additional police officers whose duties would include patrolling elementary schools. The district already has police officers at each of its middle and high schools.

The group also advised the district to hire 10 non-sworn staffers to beef up security. That job would include monitoring video surveillance systems during and after school.

An on l ine men t al h e alth resource center would provide videos and other web-based resources for students and families to view anytime. The center

would provide information about depression, bullying, peer pressure, suicide and other mental health issues, according to the district. It would be in addition to the district’s counselors.

The cost of the safety plan includes $790,000 in onetime expenses, such as police uniforms and cars and the online resource center. Other costs, such as hiring additional police officers and security staffers and maintaining the online resource center, would cost about $1.6 million a year, according to district estimates.

“I really hope that this is the start of the conversation and not the end, as we all know that school safety is a major issue, and it’s going to be,” Wesley McCall, Alpharetta’s deputy director of public safety and one the committee members, told the board Tuesday.