Classmates said the student didn't hesitate to show them his gun, which he later told police was black, semiautomatic and small enough to fit in his pocket. He'd brought it undetected into Renfroe Middle School in Decatur possibly for up to a week before someone told on him, according to the police report.

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Officer J.F. Brooks and Rocky, drug dog, search lockers, classrooms, and outside areas around Cedar Grove High School for drugs on Wednesday.

WEAPONS OFFENSES School systems track on-campus offenses, including felony weapons charges. Here's how many weapons offenses core metro Atlanta school systems reported last year: Atlanta: 83 Cobb County: 156 Decatur: 3 DeKalb County: 222 Fulton County: 40 Gwinnett County: 242

The student eventually was arrested and is no longer attending Renfroe Middle. He told police he threw the gun into some woods. But the February incident at Renfroe Middle — among other recent incidents involving kids, schools and guns — serves as an example of what students, parents and staff need to do to keep their campuses safe.

Here are some tips from police and school officials:

Take advantage of resources

Officer J.F. Brooks' partner at Cedar Grove High School is Rocky, a 7-year-old springer spaniel that is one of five dogs in the DeKalb County school system's K-9 unit. They search lockers, cars and classrooms regularly, not only on DeKalb campuses but also for schools from Peachtree City to Atlanta.

Brooks and Rocky are among the most visible features in an otherwise behind-the-scenes security effort in DeKalb, similar to that in all school systems. Social work, counseling, training and planning are all a part of it. From student conduct codes to internal handbooks telling principals and employees what to do in case of emergency.

DeKalb also operates a secure-access Web site for emergency "first responders" of any agency, who can log on and immediately access school safety plans as well as floor plans for any campus. DeKalb is also planning a systemwide "safety audit," which it last did in 1998.

Like a growing number of school systems, DeKalb County has its own Police Department, which with 85 officers is larger than most police agencies in Georgia. The officers stay busy: Brooks arrested two students on March 6 after they came onto the Cedar Grove campus with a gun.

Be informed

Federal law requires states to track campus offenses. Anyone can look up reported offenses in their school system at the Georgia education department Web site: www.gadoe.org. To go directly to the most current reporting page, which includes three years worth of data, log on at: Unsafe School Information

Call the hotline

1-877-SAY-STOP — The state operates this toll-free, 24-hour hotline for students, parents and staff to anonymously report weapons and safety-related issues. Your report is immediately forwarded to your school system for action.

Don't wait to tell

Renfroe Middle School principal Bruce Roaden said administrators didn't find out that a student had brought a gun to school until one student stepped forward after seeing the boy with it at an off-campus party. Other students eventually stepped forward to say they had seen him with the gun while in school. Roaden's advice: Don't wait to tell someone.

"If you see or hear about a weapon, tell a teacher or administrator immediately," Roaden said. "If you also suspect anything in a community setting, tell your parents or a police officer." If parents hear their children talking about something alarming, he said, "call me immediately."