Clayton County Schools on Wednesday announced that the district would begin conducting random searches in select buildings because of recent gun violence on metro Atlanta campuses.
In a news release, the south metro Atlanta school system said it is partnering with law enforcement inside and outside of Clayton County to search facilities belonging to the district and that it will use K-9 dogs in sweeps at middle and high schools.
The district did not point to any specific incidents in Clayton that precipitated the need for searches.
“Recent events throughout metro Atlanta have caused our district leadership to re-focus on the need for our students to be responsible for their behavior,” Superintendent Anthony Smith said in the release.
Metro schools have been on high alert after gun violence on or near some campuses in recent weeks.
At McEachern High School in Cobb, two non-students were treated in area hospitals for non-life-threatening wounds after a fight with a student at the school ended in gunshots on Feb. 1. Three people have been arrested and charged with various offenses since the incident.
On Feb. 9, a 15-year-old Tri-Cities High School student was killed in a shooting near the East Point school. A juvenile suspect was arrested and charged with murder in the case, police said Tuesday.
Last week in Atlanta, four Benjamin E. Mays High School students were shot after a fight broke out in the parking lot after school was dismissed. The students were transported to area emergency rooms with non-life-threatening injuries.
In his statement, Smith said it is important that Clayton keep its schools free of weapons, violence, drugs, bullying and gangs.
“These five behaviors norms are non-negotiables for our school system,” he said.
The school system went through a battle of its own with weapons in spring 2022, though none included a shooting or injury to a student. At that time, then-Superintendent Morcease Beasley banned bookbags and the use of lockers for the rest of the semester because of a “spike” in the number of guns, knives, brass knuckles and other arms brought into school buildings and on buses.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
It was later revealed that close to 100 weapons had been brought on campus during the school year. The district switched to a clear bookbag policy the next year.
Smith did not say how long the random searches would be conducted. But the release said it would be a guide for the school system through spring break and throughout the rest of the year.
“Working together, we can ensure that our students have the opportunity for the successful future they deserve and, in all honesty, should expect from Clayton County Public Schools,” Smith said.
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