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Oconee Schools report expanded SRO staffing and technology-driven safety measures for 2025-26
Summary
District officials told the board on Aug. 4 that Oconee County Schools will open the 2025-26 year with eight school resource officers, updated access controls, camera access for law enforcement, new visitor-management checks against state registries, expanded drills including AED drills, and districtwide crisis-alert badges and mapping tools.
Oconee County Schools officials on Aug. 4 detailed multiple safety and student-support measures the district says are in place for the 2025-26 school year, including an increase in school resource officer staffing, upgraded access controls and visitor management, and enhanced drill and alert systems.
Student Services Director Dr. Don Yancey told the board the district will begin the year with eight SROs serving its 12 schools and that the district—s goal remains to staff an SRO at every campus. Yancey said the district continues to work with the Oconee County Sheriff—s Office, and staff met with sheriff—s leadership in late July to review procedures.
On technology and building access, Yancey and Operations Director Dr. David White described several measures now in use: key-card access for staff at exterior and interior doors; interior and exterior camera systems with law enforcement access; locked main-entry atriums that limit public entry after school starts; and a new visitor-management system called Checkmate integrated with Infinite Campus that scans IDs and checks visitors against the Georgia offender registry each time an ID is scanned.
Yancey also highlighted student-support staffing counts presented to the board: guidance counselors at all 12 schools (one at each elementary, two at each middle school, and four at each high school), a full-time nurse at every campus, and three school social workers districtwide (with an additional social worker position added this year by board approval).
Emergency response systems include the Syntegix Scribe Alert (crisis alert) system, which district staff said they implemented in 2019 and which provides badges for staff members to activate location-specific alerts that notify administrators and law enforcement of the badge-pusher—s identity and location. The district also uses a Syntegix digital mapping "safety blueprint" to document campus assets and improve law enforcement response. Schools will run two lockdown drills, two AED drills (new this year), nine fire drills and two severe-weather drills over the school year, Yancey said; drills are conducted with the sheriff—s office, SROs and Oconee EMA.
Why it matters: The district presented the measures as layered safety practices combining prevention, technology and partnerships with local law enforcement and first responders. District staff said the systems give rapid situational awareness to law enforcement and administrators in the event of an emergency.
What the board heard: Trustees thanked staff for the work and for arranging walkthroughs of campuses to see priorities firsthand. No policy changes or formal votes on safety programs were taken at the Aug. 4 work session; staff said some items will appear as informational or action items on the Aug. 11 regular meeting agenda.
Attribution: All descriptions in this article are drawn from the Student Services and Operations reports presented to the board on Aug. 4 by Dr. Don Yancey and Dr. David White.
