TWIGGS COUNTY, Ga. — School shootings and other emergencies have put school security on many people's minds. This year a new Georgia law, House Bill 147, says public schools across the state must put safety at the forefront.
"At the end of the day I just want him to come back home safe. I want that for everyone's kid," parent Lanae Flournoy said.
Flournoy is sending off his little one ,Jamal, to Jeffersonville Elementary in August. He says he's looking forward to more safety measures in school from the Safe Schools Act.
"We don't need any incidents or stuff happening that we can't control," Flournoy said.
The bill takes effect July 1 and requires Georgia public schools submit safety plane to Georgia Emergency Management and the Homeland Security Agency (GEMA).
"We have obliged and been performing at that level for a year. It doesn't change what we do," Twiggs County assistant superintendent James Austin said.
Austin says the district has a relationship with GEMA.
"They did a walk through of our facilities August 18th 2022," he said.
Austin says the agency gave Twiggs county an "A" score.
He says in the past year the school added about 20 cameras, they plan to improve fences around all schools, and include more detailed walk throughs and perimeter checks.
Plus, Twiggs has a new helpful digital tool.
"We have instruments such as Crisis Go that allows us to manage a crisis situation in a digital platform," Austin said.
The school district police officers now have new tactical shields as well.
"I want to know that I can go to work and know I don't have to worry about my kid making it back home," Flournoy said.
The upgrades don't stop there.
Faculty and staff now have a badge they can activate to let local authorities know about threats from medical alerts to other emergencies.
The elementary school has access to the system and the rest of the district will get access in the fall.