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DeKalb school leaders report strong first week, outline safety staffing plan and testing window
Summary
Chief of staff Elijah Palmer told the DeKalb County Board of Education that the district saw 81,739 students on day five of the 2024–25 school year, highlighted facilities responses and outlined plans to add weapons detectors, badges and more school security staff; board members pressed for details on SRO placement, bilingual hires and hotlines.
The DeKalb County School District said its first week of the 2024–25 school year showed progress — but also underscored continuing operational tasks.
Chief of staff Elijah Palmer presented a reopening update to the Board on Aug. 12, reporting a districtwide “warm‑body” count of 81,739 on day five, about 732 more than at the same point last year. He said 105 schools in the district qualify for Community Eligible Provision status, enabling universal free lunch at those sites, and announced a coordinated MAP testing window for the next two weeks to create consistent early‑year assessment data across schools.
Palmer and operations staff briefed the board on facilities and transportation. Most schools had functioning HVAC systems, he said, though some classrooms were warmer and were temporarily moved to cafeterias or other spaces while portable air coolers and work orders were handled. Transportation reported roughly 90% of routes on time in week one despite a driver shortage; the district noted ongoing work to resolve special‑education routing discrepancies and encouraged parents to use a hotline (678‑676‑1333) and the district’s Edulog/parent portal to track buses.
Safety emerged as a central topic. Palmer said the district has delivered additional evolved weapons detectors and is rolling out Syntyjics badges for staff lockdown procedures. Following a board discussion with public safety leadership, the district said it aims for two SROs per high school and one per middle school and is hiring 30 Elementary Security Associates (ESAs) by September, while still short roughly 57 SROs across the system. Board members asked how placements would be prioritized; Palmer said placement decisions will use enrollment and incident data and that principals will be part of the placement conversations to match campus needs, including hiring bilingual staff where necessary.
Board members pressed for specifics. Commissioner Anna Hill asked for an HVAC status update and a clear timeline for SRO placement; Trustee Vicky Turner suggested a targeted job fair to recruit security personnel; and Trustee Whitney McGinnis sought clarity on when the district would provide an official enrollment count, which staff said would likely stabilize after Labor Day.
Why it matters: The district is juggling staffing, safety and service delivery as students return. The plans for additional security staff and devices are intended to expand coverage across a large, diverse district, but board members emphasized the need for transparency about placement criteria, cost and community communication.
What’s next: Administration said it will bring the HB 147 School Safety Act plan back to the board at next month’s meeting and promised follow‑up reporting on recruitment timelines, bilingual placement goals and a final enrollment tally after Labor Day.
