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The Barrow County Board of Education voted on and heard about several safety and security enhancements and plans at the September Work Session and October meeting.
Safety Enhancement Plans & Approvals
Chief of Staff Dr. Matt Thompson presented the plan to discuss additional safety and security measures with staff, families, and our community. The Barrow County School System is currently examining potential safety enhancements (such as metal/weapons detectors, clear backpacks, etc.). Administrators are reviewing various pieces of security technology for our schools.
Between October and November, the Board will meet with School Governance Teams (SGT) to present research and findings and receive feedback from SGT in the decision-making process. Other focus groups in the feedback process include faculty and staff, the Teacher Advisory Council, TOTY VIP, and other groups. The Barrow County School System values the feedback from students, families, and community members.
The goal is to have a recommendation for the Board in early 2025.
Additional School Resource Officers
Our partnership with the Barrow County Sheriff’s Department has allowed us to have highly trained School Resource Officers (SRO) on our campuses. An increase in the number of SROs will further enhance our safety efforts and allow for more coverage. The BOE unanimously approved the Superintendent's recommendation to hire eight additional SROs.
Classroom Phones
To offer teachers an additional and efficient way to connect with office staff and parents/guardians, the Board unanimously approved the Superintendent's recommendation to purchase desk phones for each classroom. Having phones in every classroom expands immediate communication options for staff because it ensures a reliable connection and prevents teachers from having to leave the classroom to make a call. It also allows teachers to quickly and discreetly alert administration to a concern. The plan calls for ITS to install the phones first in our high schools.
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