CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Clayton County Public Schools officials held a work session to discuss possible safety measures for the upcoming academic year. Among other things, the proposed measures included adding more metal detectors at schools and hiring more school resource officers.
The occasional reference to the shooting in Uvalde, Texas came up in regards to safety measures.
District officials also discussed instances of weapons that were confiscated on school grounds. During the previous school year, there were 97 instances of weapons being confiscated.
The district previously discussed making clear backpacks mandatory for all students. During the work session, disagreements came up about how to pay for the backpacks. At one point, it was suggested parents pay for the them.
Adrian Jones, whose daughter attends elementary school in Clayton County, said she agrees with some of the proposed measures but not all of them.
"I'm in agreement with the clear backpacks, anything that needs to be done in order to protect our children at school. I'm all for that. In terms of it being an expense for the parents, I do think that Clayton County should cover that expense."
Jones argued that backpacks may be too expensive for some parents who are already dealing with financial hardship. She also said basic preventative measures will make a big difference.
"Just some of the daily protocols and safety measures that need to continue to be followed, I think that that needs to be actually pushed to the fore, to the to the forefront."
Jones previously spoke with 11Alive about an incident where her child wandered onto a playground. This prompted her to call for more safety regulations at the elementary school level.
Jones said things like doors not being propped open and cameras being monitored consistently would help.
Ralph Simpson, Deputy Superintendent for School Leadership and Improvement for Clayton County Schools did mention this during the work session.
"Propping open, no propping open doors. You know, using exit doors... None of those things will be permissible,' he said during the session on Tuesday.
Clayton County School District Officials did respond to some of our inquiries via email. The district is communicating with the following police departments in order to establish a county-wide taskforce.
Clayton County Police Department
Forest Park Police Department
Jonesboro Police Department
Lovejoy Police Department
Riverdale Police Department
An email sent to the 11Alive Newssrom said,
"The primary objective is that every law enforcement agency participates in this task force. The goal of the task force is to improve communication and response to major incidents on school grounds, and discuss the dangers of gun and youth violence.
There are on-going communications between the CCPS Department of Safety and Security and all law enforcement agencies within Clayton County regarding information sharing of crimes and incidents occurring daily."
A representative also explained the district is in talks to share security camera footage with nearby police departments. Currently, this happens when there are incidents that may need to be investigated.
In reference to the clear backpacks which have been proposed previously, the email from a district spokesperson said, "The district understands that backpacks will deteriorate over time. Clear book bags will be purchased for all students. Each school will be supplied a number to use at the school as well. The backpacks will be available until resources are depleted."