A superintendent in Georgia is calling for a greater investment in security protocols following the fatal shooting at a public high school earlier this month.
Richard Woods is a Republican elected official for the state education system. He suggested on Monday September 16—less than two weeks after the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School hospitalized nine people and killed four others—that the state put more money in safety protocols.
Specifically, he suggested that security officers be available at school campuses and people have panic alert buttons that they can wear and use in case of emergencies. He also said that he is looking to advance a state program that offers mental health assistance for students and seeks to ensure better communication about threats to the authorities.
Woods said in a statement that “redoubling our efforts” in school security is “crucial,” making him the second leader in the Peach State to suggest amendments to safety protocols in public schools since the September 4 shooting. His recommendations echoed those made last week by Jon Burns, the GOP state House Speaker.
Even as the GOP Gov. Brian Kemp has expressed his plans to review such suggestions, he also noted that additional information is still being revealed in the ongoing investigation into the shooting. The September 4 shooting occurred after 14-year-old Colt Gray sent concerning messages to his parents, leading his mother to call the school and ask them to check on her son.
But the boy was already too far gone, and his shooting spree claimed the lives of 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Cristina Irimie, both teachers, as well as14-year-old students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn. Gray has been charged—as an adult rather than a juvenile—with four murder counts.
Additionally, his father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, has also been charged in relation to the shooting. He is one of few parents of school shooters who are being held liable for their children’s violent actions, and is now facing charges of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder, and cruelty to children. The boy’s father is believed to have allowed his son to have access to his firearm while knowing that the minor was a threat to both himself and others.
