Although Georgia school districts have ways to let students or others report suspicious activity or possible threats, there is no central repository for that information. The GBI wants to change that.
It wants to become a clearinghouse for data on threats as well as actual incidents of violence. This will allow for consistent analysis that isn’t being done now, agents told the Senate Study Committee on School Safety.
School districts receive tips through various means, and act upon the credible threats. But none keep records of that data — not even the state Department of Education. The Georgia Information Sharing & Analysis Center, a division of the GBI, believes that’s a mistake.
“These silos of information run the risk of keeping important data on trends from helping prevent future similar incidents,” said Andrew Mossman, GBI assistant special agent in charge.
Prevention has been a prevailing theme in the school safety study meetings for the state house and senate, and GBI Director Vernon Keenan and Mossman presented data last month to show the need for a statewide reporting system they say should help.
The state provides 1-877-SAY-STOP and the See Something, Send Something app for reporting school threats and other suspicious activity by phone or text. During regular business hours, an operator at the Georgia Department of Education works the hotline. Calls are transferred to the Georgia Department of Public Safety after regular business hours and on weekends and holidays. Transmissions to the app are also monitored in real time.
The hotline is designed for crisis prevention – if students know of an unsafe situation (weapons violations, bomb threats, drugs or alcohol, bullying, etc.) they can report it anonymously through the hotline. Depending on the call’s urgency, the hotline operator contacts a local law enforcement agency and the local school district.
“Calls to the hotline do not have to be emergencies – it’s also available as an informational resource for educators, administrators, parents, or others who have questions regarding safety in Georgia’s schools,” said Meghan Frick, a spokeswoman for the state DOE. “We don’t compile data on the calls, we simply provide follow-up with local school districts and local law enforcement when necessary.”
The GBI also relays information from its sources to local jurisdictions, but doesn’t generally receive data back on outcomes.
Mossman said a system is needed to keep track not only of incidents that make headlines, but even those that don’t result in any disciplinary action.
Fulton County schools has an app called QuickTip for incident reporting under the See Something, Say Something campaign. In use since April 2016, it allows anyone to leave information about potential threats.
“Persons may choose to either identify themselves or remain anonymous,” said Fulton spokeswoman Cierra Boyd.
Fulton County doesn’t keep data on the number of tips received, but school security has been able to intercept weapons and drug-related contraband, intercept potential student fights that were brewing and provide resources and support for students,” added Boyd.
In addition to QuickTip, Fulton County Schools has an email account specifically for reporting issues pertaining to safety: safety@fultonschools.org. Both the email address and phone line are monitored around the clock.
The fact that school districts are taking action is a good thing, said Mossman, but the lack of data reporting is a concern.
He cited several statistics compiled by the GBI:
- There has been an overall increase in active-shooter events since 2000, with an average of 20 incidents over each of the past four years.
- The average number of fatalities per incident has increased.
- Of the 73 school threats reported to the Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center in February, 23 percent resulted in an arrest.
DeKalb, Clayton and Gwinnett school systems also have their own tip lines.
“Since the re-establishment of the platform in 2017, we have experienced over 11,500 downloads, which translates to approximately 21 percent of our student population,” said Clayton schools spokesman Ron Shields.
This is the first year that Gwinnett County schools has used a texting feature, so officials anticipate increased usage.
The key, said Mossman, is increasing public awareness across the board.
“The system must be marketed to the general public,” he said adding that on average six bystanders observe pre-assault indicators in advance of an attack but never report them.
But having the systems in place is a good start.
A year ago this month, two students allegedly plotted to bomb Etowah High School in Cherokee County. The students were taken into custody after someone notified police of the potential threats. That tip led officials to a home where one of the accused students lived. Inside the home, authorities found evidence linking the students to the threats.
Alfred Dupree III and Victoria “Gabi” McCurley, both 17 at the time, to commit arson and a combined count of unlawful possession of a destructive device. According to court records, Dupree compiled a “kill list” of potential victims that included five students and one teacher. The indictment also says they had created a map of the high school building as a part of their plan.
More recently, a student at Forsyth County’s Lambert High School was arrested Sept. 17 after he allegedly made an unspecified threat against the school, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department. The student made the threats on Snapchat that morning, and before lunch students were told to stay in class while officers removed the student from the building. He was charged with a misdemeanor.
According to police, another student overheard a suspicious conversation and notified administrators.
Instead of waiting to come to school and tell someone, the students could have used the hotline, said Mossman.
“There are no billboards or PSAs to make the public aware of the app or the hotline. Every minute can make a difference with threats of violence.”
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