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Frequently Asked Questions About School Safety

  1. What are the schools’ safety plans for an emergency? All schools are required by the state to have a safety plan.  Each school has a safety committee that reviews and updates the plan.  The school’s also work with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, Bulloch County Emergency Management Agency, local law enforcement, and the school district’s chief operations officer to review and make upgrades to school safety plans and provide training for employees.
  2. Can parents and students report suspicious or threatening behavior? Nothing prohibits the public, parents or students from directly contacting law enforcement or a school resource officer about concerns.  You may also report concerns to school personnel, who will take appropriate administrative action and contact law enforcement. Find local law enforcement contact numbers and anonymous tip lines here.
  3. What are school safety protocols of which parents should be aware? The school system’s basic safety protocols are on this website and printed in the Bulloch County Schools Student Handbook.  Please review them and prepare yourself and your children.
  4. What safety improvements has the school system made? The school district has made significant upgrades to safety, especially in the area of restricting access into our schools.  More upgrades have been identified by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, our principals and district administrators.  Many new safety improvements and upgrades to existing safety technology have been made since 2019 using funds from the district's fourth education special local option sales tax referendum which was passed by Bulloch County voters.  
  5. How can parents help with school safety? First, it takes everyone in our community to value and want our schools to be safe learning environments. This includes being mindful of what we say and share on social media and digital devices. School safety cannot be achieved by school personnel alone.  Read our school safety protocols for parents and students.
  6. What is the school system’s protocol for an active shooter event? An active shooter situation is extremely dangerous. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bulloch County Emergency Management, and local law enforcement, ask school personnel to use Run, Hide, or Fight protocols. Also, under advice from law enforcement, all citizens, including parents and all off-site employees, are advised to remain away from the scene. Law enforcement will not be able to prevent the initial impact of an active shooter even if there is a school resource officer in the building. Multiple law enforcement personnel both on duty and off duty from multiple agencies will respond to the scene as quickly as possible, so there will be officers in different types of uniforms or even in no uniforms if they were off duty. Once on the scene, law enforcement’s first job will be locate the person(s) with the gun and neutralize him/her. Until the perpetrator(s) are neutralized, it will not be law enforcement’s role to assist school employees, the public, or any victims. For this reason, school personnel are trained to initially be prepared to Run, Hide, or Fight. No persons may leave the area until authorized by law enforcement and an all-clear announcement is given. Parents and students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the district’s Safety Protocols which are available on our website and in the Bulloch County Schools Student Handbook.  Especially review the use of cell phones in an emergency, how information will be communicated to parents and the public, parents and the public remaining off the scene, and reunification.
  7. How are false reports of criminal behavior handled? Everyone in our community and in our schools must be accountable for what they say and report. We encourage students to if they see something, then say something to school personnel or law enforcement, so that it can be properly investigated for accuracy and swift action taken. Law enforcement and school personnel will not tolerate anyone who knowingly makes a false report of criminal activity to school personnel or law enforcement.  This is a crime. Law enforcement and school personnel will also not tolerate anyone individuals or groups of individuals who deliberately target, taunt and bully a student in an attempt to get them to make a threat against a school or individual.
  8. Why does the school or school district not release a student’s name or the school’s disciplinary action when an incident occurs at school? The school district and all schools are bound by the Federal Education Rights & Privacy Act to protect the privacy of students. This includes a student’s name and his or her discipline record. If a student is arrested due to an incident at school, local law enforcement will release the student’s name (if 17 or older), information about the incident, and the charges filed against the student.  If the student is 16-years-of-age or younger, law enforcement will not release the name of the student. To be respectful of the rights of all, students and citizens are encouraged to use good digital citizenship online, especially with social media. 

Email your additional questions.  We will post questions and answers on this page.