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Newton County Schools details safety investments and weapon-screening pilot
Summary
Dr. Mike Barr told the board the district is implementing a layered safety plan — people, plans and procedures, infrastructure and supports — and reported investments in SROs, secure entryways, cameras, communication systems and a weapons-detection pilot funded with district purchases and board authorizations.
Dr. Mike Barr presented a district safety update that described a four-pillar, layered approach — people, plans and procedures, infrastructure and technology, and mental health supports — and summarized recent work and investments aimed at strengthening school security.
“We depend on our staff, students, and families to remain vigilant and to report concerns quickly and responsibly,” Barr said, and described regular drills, school- and district-level safety meetings, and partnerships with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, local police departments, emergency services, juvenile court and state agencies.
Barr outlined infrastructure investments, including building access controls, video intercom door systems, enhanced exterior lighting, secure entryways (13 schools currently secured, with additional schools included in the capital plan through December 2029), Flock vehicle-identification cameras, upgraded security cameras, weapons-detection systems and the district’s "safe" crisis alert system. He said the board invested $1,500,000 in FY2025 and planned $1,800,000 in FY2026 to support personnel and related safety efforts; district purchases of $416,000 were authorized over recent fiscal years to buy weapons-screening equipment.
The administration reminded the board that following a March 2025 pilot, the board authorized random weapon screenings in middle and high schools for the 2025–26 school year and that the district has made equipment purchases to support the screenings. Barr also noted the district's EPIC communications system and interoperable radios, which administration says will improve coordination with first responders, and said the district has had the 'safe' system since 2011.
Board members praised the investments and linked the program of work to community requests after the one-year anniversary of the "Apalachee" tragedy; trustees asked what else the board could do to accelerate implementation. Barr said he will remain available for questions and follow-up and highlighted that additional secure-entry installations are included in the capital-improvement plan.
No formal board action was taken on the safety presentation at the work session.
