COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Concerns about how to protect Cobb County schools from an active shooter were what brought more than a dozen parents to the school board meeting Thursday night.
Earlier in the day, superintendent Chris Ragsdale laid out new steps the district is taking in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas massacre.
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A new crisis alert system will be in place called Centegix after the district said someone hacked the previous system last year.
“CENTEGIX allows our police officers, administers, and dispatch, to see an issued alert, what school, what specific location in a school, and the nature of the alert,” Ragsdale said.
It caused a code red alert for all schools, prompting panic before the situation was resolved.
Some parents were hoping for more details on how this system may be more secure.
“We just want to make sure its not a repeat of what we just went through.”
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The district is also vowing to hold more unannounced code red drills to train students for an active shooter situation.
“We understand the stress and anxiety students experience contemplating a tragic event,” said Ragsdale. “But the drills will help everyone improve their implementation.”
There are also ongoing discussions to recruit retired military personnel to help guard schools.
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Some parents spoke at the board meeting, but weren’t able to have their detailed questions answered.
“Let’s sit down and have a conversation as a community while schools are not in session before we go back in August,” said Mindy Seger, a Cobb County parent.
Dr. Jaha Howard is a Cobb parent and school board member. He says it’s his goal to be continue to be proactive.
“I do feel a little more comfortable knowing that we have some very strong things in place,” he said.
The school board did not go into more specific details. Ragsdale cited security concerns and not wanting potential criminals to know exactly how schools operate.
Some of the parents were sympathetic to that, but still wanted to know if the new alert system has any new protections.
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