The Oconee County Board of Education next week will be asked to approve discussions with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office designed to put a resource officer in each of the 12 Oconee County Schools.
A resource officer has been in each of those schools since the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County last Wednesday, according to Sheriff James Hale.
Those officers will remain at the schools through the week, Hale said, and, beginning on Monday, resource officers will continue to serve at Oconee County High School and North Oconee County High School.
Kevin Yancey, Director of Student Services for Oconee County Schools, told the Board of Education at its work session on Monday that the Board will be asked to vote at its regular meeting on Sept. 16 to enter into discussions with the Sheriff’s Office.
The outcome of that negotiation would be a memo of understanding between Oconee County Schools and the Sheriff’s Office for placement of the resource officer in the schools, Yancey said.
Yancey gave no estimate of the cost of inserting the Sheriff’s Office employees into the school buildings or the source of funding for the program.
More than 55 people turned out at the work session on Monday, but none of them was invited to speak, consistent with Board policy.
Citizen comment is allowed only at regular meetings, which the meeting on Sept. 16 will be.
Tone Of The Meeting
Board Chair Kim Argo began the meeting on Monday by saying “I want to take a moment to acknowledge the tragedy that occurred at Apalachee High School and the Barrow County Schools community.”
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| Argo 9/9/2024 |
“Oconee County is grieving along side you,” she said. “And we stand ready to assist in the healing process any way we can. Our thoughts and prayers are with the students, families, educators, and first responders affected by this tragedy.”
“Acts of violence like this remind us of the importance of community support and the ongoing need for vigilance, safety, and care in our schools,” she continued.
“These past few days have been challenging and emotional for the Apalachee and Barrow County community. But we know that they are strong and will persevere,” she said.
She was followed by Superintendent Jason Branch, who, in his report to the Board, said he wanted to echo the sentiments expressed by Argo.
“We know they are hurting,” Branch said. “And we’re hurting as well. We will continue to grieve with them, be there with them, and assist them in our own community.”
Barrow County Superintendent Dallas LeDuff was Associate Superintendent of Oconee County Schools until the end of the last school year.
“This tragedy has challenged Oconee County Schools to reflect on safety and security protocols,” Branch said.
Student Services Report
In his report to the Board, Director of Student Services Yancey provided a review of security protocols already in place in Oconee County Schools.
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| Yancey 9/9/2024 |
Included are access controls, interior and exterior cameras, security vestibules, a visitor management system, and a school messenger technology.
The access control “allows staff members to bar access at secure entry points via exterior and interior doors,” Yancey said. “Inside the buildings, these access controls allow our staff to secure the building.”
“Each school has cameras on the interior and exterior of the building,” Yancey said.
“Each school in Oconee County has been equipped with a security vestibule as a main point of entry after the start of the school day,” he said.
The visitor management system “allows us to track who is in our buildings and who has gained access to our students and staff,” Yancey said.
The school messenger system “allows individuals to report any threat, big or small, to our school and district administrations,” Yancey continued.
Each school also has emergency plans, lockdown drills, fire drills, and law enforcement rapid response training, according to Yancey.
Oconee County Schools also uses the Centegix Crisis Alert System that includes a staff badge that can be used to provide notification of a problem in the schools, he said.
Action Item
At the end of that review, Yancey said, “Board Members, the tragedy of Apalachee High School last week deeply impacted each and every one of us. When some of this magnitude occurs, it is prudent that we have the types of conversations that we have throughout last week and into this week with our law enforcement partners.”
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| Hale 9/9/2024 |
“While the current security model has kept students and staff safe,” Yancey continued, “Oconee County School and Oconee County Sheriff’s Office agree on the need to review collectively all the protocols we have in place.”
“Tonight I’m informing the Board, in cooperation with the Sheriff’s Office, we will be placing a school resource officer at North Oconee High School and Oconee County High School,” he said.
“It is also the recommendation this evening that the Board consider action item to authorize the superintendent to work with the Sheriff’s Office to develop a memorandum of understanding to provide a comprehensive law enforcement presence in all 12 schools.”
After the meeting, Hale explained that his office has agreed to place a resource officer at each of the two high schools while discussion continues on the memorandum of understanding.
Board Member Michael Ransom asked Yancey to explain the difference between having a resource officer at the schools and the current situation where deputies visit the schools on a regular basis.
“An SR is assigned to campus, obviously, and would not take any service calls outside, off that campus,” he said. “In a school setting, there are things they would have to abide by to be in conjunction with the school administration.”
No Board member spoke in opposition to the proposal by Yancy, and Board Chair Kim Argo said explicitly when Yancey had finished that “we want to do what’s best for our students, and I do support school resource officers.”
Video
The 55 plus attendees at the meeting on Monday included three Sheriff deputies and Sheriff Hale. One of those deputies sat at the front of the room next to the Board as a security officer for the meeting.
Also in the audience were nine staff members sitting in the front row and several others seated in the audience section.
Board of Education candidates on the November Ballot Adam Hammond (Post 4, Republican), Katie Green (Post 5, Democrat), and Brock Toole (Post 5, Republican) were at the meeting.
Reginald Wade, challenging Hale on the November ballot, also was present. Wade is running as a Democrat. Hall is the Republican Party nominee.
The video below combines clips I shot with two separate cameras of Yancey’s presentation to the Board.
Oconee County Schools delays release of the videos of Board meetings on its YouTube channel.
1 comment:
In addition to needing clarity on the funding (millage rate was recently finalized), was there consideration of a plan to place SROs at each campus? It also seem there is a need to boost mental health support.
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