Clayton County school board members, under oral assault from parents, students, teachers and others, are getting some extra protection of the physical kind.

Starting today, all visitors to the Clayton County school administrative complex in Jonesboro will have to walk through a metal detector to get inside.

Once in, they might also have to submit to another search by trained security personnel using a hand-held metal detecting device.

"The district," according to a press release, "is taking this step to ensure a safe working and meeting environment for Board members, district employees and visitors."

Schools spokesman Charles White said the beefed-up security measures are part of an ongoing effort to improve safety in school facilities —- not a reaction to the controversy enveloping the district.

White said hand-held metal detectors, known as "wands," now are used randomly at Clayton high schools and middle schools. Walk-through metal detectors are being installed in high school gym areas, he said, but are not used at general entry points.

Clayton County police Chief Jeffrey Turner said he is unaware of any threats that would spark increased security at the central office complex, but he said the schools' problems "may have prompted them to expedite" installation of the metal detectors.

"I think it's a precautionary measure," he said. "There's a lot of angry people out there."

"I think it's a good thing," board member Sandra Scott said, "with all the things going on. I feel pretty safe," she said, noting the presence of security officers at board meetings. But, she added, "Better to be safe than sorry."

Ericka Davis, chairwoman of the school board, said the move was prompted at least partly by the recent killing of five people at a Missouri City Council session.

The Clayton school board has been at the center of an ongoing battle that threatens the accreditation of the district's schools. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools recommended that the accreditation be revoked as of Sept. 1.

The association pointed to infighting among board members, meddling in day-to-day school operations, violations of board procedures, misuse of funds and bid tampering.

The 52,800-student system, it said, is "fatally flawed."

Losing accreditation would mean Clayton students would not be eligible for HOPE scholarships and would have difficulty getting admitted to college. Students would have a hard time transferring to high schools elsewhere.

On Friday, Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed two state Board of Education members to help the schools make required improvements by the Sept. 1 accreditation deadline.

The schools have been criticized on many fronts, ranging from the union representing the vast majority of the county's teachers, to the NAACP, to the Clayton Students' Coalition. The groups have variously called for the resignation of several or all nine board members.

Sunday, in a large advertisement in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce joined in.

In an open letter to the school board, it asked for the resignation of its members, "for the good of the school system, the community and, most importantly, the children.

"These actions," the letter concluded, "will enable the school system to move toward a healthy and bright future for the children of Clayton County."

—-Staff Writer Megan Matteucci contributed to this article.