Barrow County Schools report midyear safety upgrades and new mapping tool for first responders

Deputy Superintendent Doctor Thompson and school safety staff told the Barrow County Board of Education on Jan. 6 that the district has made substantial midyear progress on safety measures implemented in 2025.

The update included schoolwide deployments of detectors and a school dog, distribution of operational preparedness manuals to classrooms, an operational mobile app for staff, and the roll-out of Syntegix mapping that prints floor plans and exterior asset maps for first responders. John Skinner described the district’s threat-assessment work, saying the district follows a Secret Service model that brings together administrators, SROs, counselors and social workers to coordinate supports.

“We added our detectors, and we added school dog,” said the presenter identified in the transcript as Doctor Bowen during the presentation portion. “We have those preparedness procedure manuals in all classrooms now.”

Rob Currot demonstrated the Syntegix mapping and said the maps include interior assets (doors, card readers, AEDs, trauma kits) and exterior landmarks such as nearby churches and the Holly Hill Mall so responders unfamiliar with a neighborhood can find schools quickly. Presenters said mapping for district schools was completed before the July compliance deadline.

The district also detailed reporting tools now in use. The StopIt anonymous reporting tool allows 24/7 submissions by app, web or hotline; serious reports trigger a human call and, if necessary, contact with law enforcement. SchoolDawg—an operational reporting tool—has gathered roughly 12,000 entries across the district, the presentation said, with about 93% coded as praises or informational entries. The district is also compiling the new required records of student–law-enforcement encounters; presenters said the data currently average 10–12 encounter reports per week and more than 180 total reports have been logged since tracking began.

Board members thanked staff for the work and raised questions about training, module integration and accuracy of fielded data. Doctor Thompson said the district plans staff training for the new Infinite Campus threat-assessment module and expects to roll out district training and building-level training in the coming months.

The presentation was framed as a midyear status update; no formal board action was required during this portion of the meeting. The district said partnerships with the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office and school-resource officers remain central to the safety approach.