Oconee County School Board Authorizes Superintendent, Sheriff To Reach Agreement To Put Resource Officers In All 14 Schools

***Decision Follows Packed Meeting***

Well more than 100 people filled the seats and the isles of the Board room at the Oconee County Schools new Instructional Support Center on Monday night to make sure the Board got the message that they wanted action following the Sept. 4 mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County.

Twenty of those present spoke, with most calling explicitly for the placement of school resource officers in each of Oconee County’s 12 schools.

A good number also called for an increased focus on mental health programs and efforts to deal with specific issues such as bullying.

The first speaker, Sally Jarratt, told the Board she wanted the Board not only to agree to put school resource officers in the schools but also “commit to a time line, and that you keep the public informed of the progress.”

Midway through the speaker list, Adam Geiger told the Board “We need it now,” referring to school security officers. “We don’t need it next year.”

That produced loud applause.

In the end, the Board voted to “authorize the superintendent to work with Sheriff James Hale to develop a memorandum of agreement that would provide a comprehensive law enforcement presence at all 12 of our schools.”

Reference To Past Decision

Devin Hartness Smith, the fourth speaker, reminded the Board that it had rejected a request that it put resource officers in Oconee County Schools less than two years ago.

Board Vote Authorizing Agreement Negotiation 9/16/2024

At the April 17 meeting of the Board, four parents asked the Board to place school safety officers in each of Oconee County Schools’ 12 schools. The Board took no action.

Smith said that obviously the death of two students and two teachers at nearby Apalachee High School at the hands of an enrolled student with a high powered weapon had changed Board and community sentiment.

Smith asked the Board “to keep us informed, with a time line, with a deadline...Without a deadline, due dates, and time lines, things just don’t happen.”

Smith said recent discussion among the candidates for the Board in the Nov. 5 election had focused on the need for transparency.

“And that is part of transparency,” Smith said, referring to the need for information as the discussion progresses. “That is something that matters in this sense too,” she said.

“We really ask for a commitment not just to explore this,” she said, “but to keep us informed. Monthly would be great. We can have these meetings. We can come.”

“You can keep this on the agenda so we’re going to know what actually is being done,” she said.

Obstacles

So far, there has been no discussion of the costs involved, of who will cover them, and of how soon these changes can be implemented.

Jarratt Leaving Podium 9/16/2024

Back in April of 2023, Sheriff Hale had estimated that it would cost about $2.7 million to put deputies in all 12 of the schools.

Hale also said that the response time for a deputy in the schools would not necessarily be shorter than it would be for an officer outside the schools given the way the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office currently patrols around the schools.

Several of those who spoke on Monday disputed that position.

Ian Canalis, the 18th speaker, said he has taught in Barrow County for 24 years and that his wife is a teacher at Apalachee High School.

Canalis looked away and paused before continuing.

“She saw first-hand how crucial it is, how many lives were saved by having the SRO on the school grounds,” he said when he continued.

“The nightmare lasted less than a minute,” he said. “SROs were the first ones there to apprehend the shooter. I thank God for those guys.”

Other Requests

Jason Poole said “if we are serious about protecting our kids, teachers from this senseless violence, then we need to make it impossible for someone to walk into a school with weapons. Period.”

Smith Leaving Podium 9/16/2024

“You cannot walk into any sporting event, or government office without walking through a metal detectors and bag checks,” he said. “So why are we not doing this at our schools?”

Rosy Tucker said “we must invest in better mental health resources.”

“That includes hiring more counselors, social workers, providing mental health training for teachers and staff,” she said, “and making sure that students are aware that asking for help is both normal and necessary.”

Allison Lallerstedt, saying she was speaking for “an anonymous educator” who told her that “there are many educators in this district who live in fear of be shamed, reprimanded, placed on a professional development plan, or even fired for speaking out about the concerns they have with anyone with administrative authority.”

“Administrators need to do better to protect their faculty, staff, and students, when there are many students engaging in threatening behavior,” she said. “It shouldn’t take a shooting at a neighboring district for you to suddenly take it all so seriously.”

Implementation Issues

Reginald Wade, the 16th speaker, said he has worked in law enforcement for 37 years, including serving as a resource officer and then police chief for a school system.

“I commend the school district and the Sheriff department working collaboratively to get this done,” he said. “It should have been done long time ago. It is late better than never.”

“But I can tell you this,” he continued. “It will be a challenge on the Sheriff’s Office, because everybody’s not standing in line to be a certified police officer.”

“Not only that, you cannot just put anybody in the school with our children,” he said. “They have to have the right temperament. They must be interviewed and vetted by not just the Sheriff’s Department, the school district, and others in the community doing the right background to make sure we have the right people in our schools for the safety of our kids.”

Wade said school resource officers must take a 40-hour class on top of the training for police officers, and that class is “only given in the summer.”

Wade did not say this, but he is on the ballot in November as the Democratic Party nominee for sheriff.

Note: The original version of this post listed incorrectly the number of Oconee County Schools. I apologize for the typo.

Video

The video below was shot from the rear of the room, as prescribed by Steven Colquitt, Director of Communications for Oconee County Schools.

Public Comment begins at 18:01 in the video.