Elementary schools revamp visitor procedures
An ominous note left in a Gilmer High bathroom put the school on edge last Wednesday afternoon.
Quick action by students and faculty quelled the tense situation with little disruption to the day’s schedule.
GHS principal Carla Foley discussed what occurred during an interview last Friday.
“There was a note left in one of the bathrooms on the wall that said something to the effect of, ‘I’m going to hurt someone on my bus today, and I have a gun. Do something,’” Foley explained.
“A student found that note in a bathroom and gave it to a teacher, and we were notified in the office. It all happened around 2:45 p.m. when the bell was ringing. So we had all the teachers in the building come down, and we searched every student before they got on the bus, and we didn’t let any of the buses leave until we could make sure there wasn’t any weapon.”
All students who ride first-bell buses, as well as second-bell riders were searched and the process did not take more than 15 minutes, and no weapons were found.
“We had every teacher in the building help with the search, and it didn’t put us more than 10 or 15 minutes behind schedule. It didn’t put us behind as much as it would have if only five or six of us were out there searching, but every teacher came out and helped.
“We did not find any weapons, and we have since identified who the student was and consequences have been issued.”
Video footage from outside of the bathroom was reviewed by administrators and the school resource officer to determine who allegedly left the note.
The situation gave Foley the opportunity to remind students of basic safety procedures to help protect all in the building.
“I’m doing my class meetings right now where I meet with every grade level,” she said. “I’ve met with sophomores, juniors and seniors and have just been reiterating all of the safety things I cover at the start of the year (such as) don’t let anybody in the building who is knocking on a door. Anybody who comes into the building needs to enter through the front door and follow all of our normal safety precautions.”
Foley concluded by adding, “It’s important that everybody knows safety is our top priority, and we frequently talk with students about how to be safe on campus, and we go over proper procedures. You can’t be vigilant enough with students letting them know they need to be safe and make good decisions that keep them safe.”
School visitor protocol changed
Unrelated to the incident at GHS, Gilmer Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Shanna Downs sent a correspondence to parents a day prior with information regarding new visitor procedures.
In the past, parents at elementary schools have entered buildings to walk their children to classrooms at the start of the day. Beginning last Thursday, parents were required to stop by the front office to complete the visitor screening process before entering the hallways of a school.
“During the school day, anyone entering our buildings must be wearing a school-issued identification badge or a temporary badge indicating they have completed a screening process at the front office,” Downs’ letter read before later adding, “no one will be allowed to enter our school buildings beyond the lobby security doors without first completing the sign-in process including scanning a state-issued ID.”
The screening process only has to be completed once to enter the system’s visitor database.
Downs’ letter in its entirety can be found on page 4A.