Rome officials launch effort in response to Florida mass shooting
The Rome school system is putting together a committee to examine school security and develop ways to improve it, School Superintendent Lou Byars told school board members Wednesday. The Rome News-Tribune reports that the committee will include officials from the Rome Police Department and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, as well as school board members, administrators, students and community residents. Similar discussions are going on across the state after last month's mass school shooting in Florida. Among the issues discussed at Wednesday's meeting were the possibility of increasing the police presence at schools and doing more to encourage students to report bullying and potentially dangerous threats.
Emory student newspaper advocates HOPE for older students
The Emory Wheel, the student newspaper at Emory University, is urging the university's administration and community to back House Bill 928. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Rick Williams, R-Milledgeville, would allow students to qualify for the lottery-funded HOPE scholarship up to 15 years after high school. Currently, eligibility is capped at seven years after high school. "Backing H.B. 928 is a low-stakes, substantive action the university can take to support educational access within Emory and across Georgia," the paper's editorial board wrote.
Lawmakers consider bill on tax allocation districts for Villa Rica
Villa Rica voters could decide in November whether to authorize the creation of tax allocation districts under pending state legislation, The Times-Georgian of Carrollton reports. House Bill 846 calls for a public referendum on creating TADs as a way of spurring new development in the west Georgia city.
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