Safety takes more than metal detectors, local school board chief says
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A little over a year ago, Augusta had a close call with school shootings when a student was injured by gunfire at Josey High School.
It could have been much worse – and local education leaders realized that.
The incident raised discussion about metal detectors at schools – but a year later, Richmond County schools still don’t have them.
Neither did Apalachee High School in Barrow County, site of a shooting Wednesday that killed two 14-year-old students and two teachers.
The Josey shooting “was a pretty traumatic event for teachers,” Charlie Walker Jr., Richmond County Board of Education president, said at the time.
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“We had a lot of folks, a lot of our teachers, who were traumatized by this. It was not something that was expected.”
Incidents like this often lead to temporary school closures, which can cut instructional time.
Walker said decisions on whether to cancel school would be made on a case-by-case basis.
“We can’t be intimidated to shut down our schools because of incidents like this,” Walker said. “If that were the case, then you know, we might never be open.”
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He said there should be discussions about harsher consequences for offenders.
“If there’s a certain percentage of the students and our school population that just don’t want to be there, then maybe they shouldn’t be there,” he said.
Looking at other prevention methods, Walker says it’ll take more than metal detectors at the door.
“People talk about scanners and stuff like that, but you can’t scan somebody’s mind. That just doesn’t exist,” he said.
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“So, if we don’t know what the thought processes are, in people who want to do something stupid or bad or too disruptive, that technology doesn’t exist yet, and when it does, bring it to us and we’ll use it,” he said.
Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw said Richmond County schools don’t have metal detectors – but he said that was open for discussion.
Local schools still don’t have metal detectors.
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