How metro Atlanta districts have enhanced school safety

Lawmakers may mull stipend for teachers to carry guns at school.

Georgia school districts have invested millions of dollars into security measures as safety concerns have heightened in recent years.

Expect to see even more changes: Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday another $100 million will be distributed to Georgia schools to spend on additional protections.

Here’s a look at how schools in metro Atlanta have addressed safety:

Alert buttons

About 60% of Georgia districts, including at least seven in metro Atlanta, have equipped all their schools with alert systems that allow any staff member to call for help or signal an emergency by pressing a wearable button.

Durrant Williams, the principal at Berkmar High School in Gwinnett County, said the system was used to call for help after a student overdosed, alerting staff who used Narcan to block the effects of an opioid.

Some districts, though, have reported several alerts were triggered inadvertently by a staff member. The company has advised districts train staff every six months on using the technology.

AI screening

The Atlanta, Dekalb and Henry school districts have partnered with Evolv Technologies, whose weapons detection devices use “advanced sensor technology and artificial intelligence to distinguish between weapons and everyday items,” according to a claim on the company’s website.

Henry uses the sensors at entry to football games, while Atlanta and Dekalb uses them at the entrance to schools.

However, the company has conceded the technology hasn’t detected some knives and other materials including lead, plastic and aluminum.

No indication of arming staff

Georgia lawmakers will likely consider this session a bill that would offer public school teachers a $10,000 annual stipend to take voluntary firearms courses and carry guns in school. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones announced his support of the idea in October, saying it would be a measure against shootings in schools.

Georgia gave school districts the authority on whether to arm teachers and other staff in 2014, but few have taken any action. The Cobb County school

board voted last year to allow some staff, but not teachers, to carry weapons to supplement the school police force, but the district has not said if it has any armed staff aside from resource officers.

Gwinnett County Superintendent Calvin Watts said, “I can’t imagine giving a green light to someone ... to carry a firearm in a school,” after Jones’ announcement. “Training and all of that aside, it just gives me pause. And at the same time, I hope that those who are making these decisions also think very deeply and broadly about the implications,” Watts said.

Cyber safety

Most districts haven’t announced major investments in protecting their cyberspace, but a ransomware attack that has left Henry County schools mostly without internet for weeks has heightened concerns on the issue.

AJC FILE Students walk through security at Maynard Jackson High School in Atlanta. Atlanta, Dekalb and Henry school districts have partnered with Evolv Technology, using their weapons detection devices at middle and high schools.