BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — One day after the father of the Apalachee School shooting was sentenced, Barrow County students will return for class for the new school year.
It has been nearly two years since Colt Gray brought a rifle into Apalachee High School and opened fire.
The senseless shooting cost four innocent lives, leading to hard-earned lessons.
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“Certainly, when you have a tragedy of that magnitude, you want to evaluate everything, and we have put a lot of things in place to try to make sure our families, our students, our staff are safe,” Matt Thompson, Barrow County Deputy Superintendent, told Channel 2’s Michael Doudna.
Thompson said even before the shooting, the district invested heavily in security. However, after the shooting, they made changes.
The district invested in new technology, including a new weapon detection system. They mapped the school to provide information to first responders, and hired more School Resource officers.
“On September 4, we had 15 school resource officers who were working in Barrow County schools. When we start school tomorrow, we will have 21. On staff, and we have another one that is completing their training that should be joining soon for a total of 22,” Thompson said. “Each of our high schools will have two dedicated SROs. All of our middle schools will have a dedicated SRO, and most of our elementaries will have very little sharing. And as we continue to expand that program, we hope to eventually get to where we have a one-to-one at all of our schools.”
The resource officers are more than just to respond to violence, but meant to be a resource for the students.
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“You know, our SROs, man, they eat lunch with these kids, they’re invited to events with the school staff. I mean, they are family to them as well,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said.
However, it’s not just Barrow County making changes. Since the shooting, the state passed legislation requiring schools to have technology like Centegix, which allows teachers to fire off an alert with the touch of a button. The legislation also invests resources in identifying and helping those with mental health issues.
“It put real fiscal resources, real requirements into schools related to violence, prevention, mental health support. And I think that sort of comprehensive approach to safety was badly needed,” Thompson said.
Families impacted by the Apalachee tragedy hope these changes are only the beginning.
They want to see continued investment in safety measures and laws to keep firearms out of schools.
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