Apalachee High shooting: Barrow County Schools continue campus safety discussions

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - The Barrow County Schools has set up an online school safety survey to gather input on campus improvements which the district should take in the wake of the Apalachee High School shooting.

The online survey, which is live until next Friday, Dec. 13, goes over a number of safety topics and provides the community the opportunity to suggest ways to make schools safer.

Weapons detection systems, the district’s bag policy, student ID badges, mental health support, and security personnel are among the topics of the survey.

"I would like any proactive measures at this point, anything is better than nothing," said parent Sean Schultz.

The Barrow County School Board held its first meeting since students returned to Apalachee High School on Oct. 1, 2024.  (FOX 5)

Some residents sounded off during Tuesday's school board meeting, wondering why changes are not being made faster.

"I was using Find My iPhone to see if my sister was still moving," said Layla Contreras, who added that she did not know if she would ever hear from her mother, a substitute teacher, or sister, who is a junior, again. "They both were there that day," she added.

"They’re still healing, we’re a healing community, we’re a strong community," she said. 

The district previously said it increased the number of resource officers on campuses and added classroom phones for teachers, but some want more done.

"They should be taking the action and have the courage to take action for their constituents," Contreras said.

The board plans to share the responses in January as they work on improvements.

No one from the district was available to speak with FOX 5.

Apalachee High shooting: Colt Gray allegations

Colt Gray in court

Tuesday night’s meeting comes near three months after Barrow County sheriff’s investigators say 14-year-old Colt Gray opened fire inside the Apalachee High School campus The shooting resulted in the deaths of two teachers, 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Cristina Irimie, and two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, were killed. Nine others sustained injuries.

Investigators say Colt used a "black semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle" which his father, Colin Gray, reportedly gave him for Christmas.

Colt Gray faces 55 charges, including four counts of murder, four counts of felony murder, four counts of aggravated battery, 25 counts of aggravated assault, and 18 counts of cruelty to children in the first degree.

Apalachee High shooting: Colin Gray’s case

Colt Gray’s father, Colin Gray, appears in a Barrow County courtroom for an arraignment hearing on Oct. 16, 2024.  (FOX 5)

Colin Gray faces 29 charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say that the Barrow County father was aware that his son was obsessed with school shooters and even had a shrine above his home computer for the gunman in the 2018 massacre in Parkland, Florida, but didn't take any action.

During his questioning following the shooting, Colin Gray reportedly mentioned Colt had asked him for a larger magazine, and he purchased one for him as well as a bore sight for the rifle and ammunition for the gun.

Last week, attorneys for Colin Gray filed a motion to quash his indictment and requested a hearing. His lawyers argued the indictment did not adequately lay out his criminal acts, including when the crimes occurred.