In the wake of a school shooting that killed four people and injured nine others at the Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, the Washington County Public School District is ensuring the safety of their students by increasing the presence of emergency responders and holding intruder drills.
In a letter to parents and guardians released last Friday, Washington County Public Schools Superintendent Vickie Harden expressed the thoughts and prayers of WACO Schools to Barrow County students, staff, and community members.
Superintendent Harden also addressed the procedures in place in Washington County Schools in the case of an active shooter emergency.
“The safety of our students and staff always remains our top priority. We routinely conduct numerous drills throughout the school year to assess our readiness level and sharpen our processes,” said Harden. “Safety drills enable us to provide our students, staff, and community with the resources and tools to respond effectively to potentially dangerous situations.”
The Superintendent wrote about the upcoming district-wide plans to further prepare for emergency situations, explaining that in addition to local practices, the state mandates that every school district annually conduct an intruder drill.
“This required drill must be completed by October 1 and involve local law enforcement and emergency personnel,” Harden said. “Planning for this year’s drill took place on July 30 [prior to the incident at the Apalachee High School] with our local law enforcement partners and our drill is scheduled for Wednesday, September 18.”
According to Superintendent Harden, students and their parents/guardians will find a noticeable increase in the presence of emergency responders at Washington County Public Schools in the days leading to the drill.
She stated that there is no reason for local alarm, but emphasized the need for procedural practice to assist in ensuring the safety of all students and staff.
Last Wednesday morning, a 14-year-old student opened gunfire at his school in Winder with an AR-platform weapon killing two 14-year-old students – Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo – and two teachers – Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie.
Eight additional students and one teacher were also hospitalized via injures sustained in the mass shooting. All are expected to survive.
When confronted by an armed school resource officer, the gunman surrendered without further incident and was taken into police custody. He was charged with murder and will be tried as an adult.
Following the deadly event, Barrow County Schools were closed through Monday. With the exception of the Apalachee High School, classes will resume on Tuesday, September 10.
According to Barrow County School Superintendent Dr. Dallas LeDuff, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency is administering a Community Recovery Center to offer free resources and mental health services to students, staff, and their families.