Green considers preventive methods after gun incidents

After several DeKalb County School District (DCSD) students brought guns to school, DCSD Superintendent R. Stephen Green said he’d “circle back” on proposing preventive technology.

“That is a concern,” said Green. “It’s a pattern of things we’ve seen across the district and across this [metro Atlanta] school region [and] is a great concern.”

During the Sept. 12 On the Scene with Dr. Green event, a Redan High School parent asked what the district is doing to prevent such incidents.

“In six weeks we’ve had three lockdowns at three different high schools in DeKalb County,” the parent said. “I’m afraid to send my kids to school.”

Green said the district now has additional counselors.

“That’s part of our investment, but I think more needs to be done,” Green said. “I’ve flirted with the idea of metal detectors; it didn’t go over well. I’m about to circle back with some kind of system.”

Green said that technology of metal detectors and other methods of screening students have improved since he initially proposed the idea. Green has said that he is considering adopting a clear backpack rule. While adding that even with the incidents, “We’ve been lucky.”

Since the district event, three more incidents in which DCSD students were found with guns on school property have occurred.

DCSD officials announced Sept. 27 that the district will conduct random searches throughout the school year on high school campuses. The searches are intended to serve as a deterrent to those who bring to scool weapons, illegal substances, and other contraband as identified in the student code of conduct.