SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — Wednesday will mark the first day of the 2023-24 school year for 16 metro area school districts.
“First day of school is why we are here,” says Griffin-Spalding spokesperson Adam Pugh. “The first day of school means opportunity.”
Channel 2′s Michael Dounda met Pugh at Griffin High School to discuss preparations for the year.
“It’s not just one thing, that’s why there are 100′s variables, but it only takes one thing to derail the whole system,” Pugh said.
Preparing for classes to resume can be complex, with districts having to juggle transportation, food, safety, and education plans.
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“Certain things, you try to follow the pattern you have in the past. But there are always changes,” Pugh said.
This year, the most noticeable change for the Griffin-Spalding district will be a bus schedule. The school district will move to a three-tiered system for each level of education, allowing them to cut down on the number of bus drivers they need.
The schools will also see updates to their security.
“It evolves, something new comes out, there are new ways to get weapons in, so we have to change with the times,” says Donald Britt.
Britt is a former West Point police chief who now oversees school security for the district.
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This year, the district’s high schools have installed a weapon detection system used at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Britt demonstrated how the machines work to identify potential threats.
“This red box will show where the potential is a weapon or the shape of a weapon on a person,” Britt said.
The new system will join the security personnel and systems already in place.
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