CARROLLTON, Ga. — Carroll County Schools and local public-safety partners held a safety summit this month that district leaders said strengthened emergency planning and response, and board members urged more proactive communication with parents after a recent bomb threat that they said generated confusion on social media.
The district hosted its 14th annual safety summit at the Performing Arts Center, where “safety teams collaborated with first responders and health agencies,” Dr. Jessica Ainsworth said during the July board meeting. She said attendees reviewed emergency plans and discussed enhanced safety measures.
Board members described the summit as a large, multiagency effort and praised local partners. “We had a lot of support from our county,” a board member said, listing the sheriff’s office and other agencies by name and thanking bus and transportation staff. That board member added the summit “was certainly really, really good.”
The same board member recounted a recent bomb threat at a high school and said a parent who was standing nearby posted allegations on Facebook that there were "no counselors, no police," which the board member said created unnecessary alarm. “Let us inform these parents so that they will know that we have children and staff first,” the board member said, urging the district to use its own channels to share accurate information directly with families.
Dr. Ainsworth described the summit as an opportunity for “first responders and health agencies” to review plans together and said the district held a teacher induction program and other trainings tied to preparedness. Board members thanked transportation staff and bus drivers for their role in student safety.
Discussion only: board members asked that the district improve parent communication about emergency responses; there was no formal vote or policy change reported at the meeting.
The district encouraged parents to watch for official communications as staff return for professional learning and induction events ahead of the Aug. 1 first day of school.