Barrow County students uncertain about return to school after mass shooting
BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - In the aftermath of a deadly mass shooting at Apalachee High School, schools across Barrow County are taking extra steps to ensure the safety of students and staff.
Apalachee High remains closed, but students were allowed to return briefly to retrieve belongings they left behind while fleeing for their lives.
While other schools in the district resumed classes, many students remain shaken.
"There’s a lot of security and a lot of police. It just feels so weird compared to other days," one student shared.
At Winder-Barrow High School, students returned to classrooms, though attendance was notably low.
Some students expressed uncertainty about returning, with one senior opting to explore finishing the school year online.
"A lot of people don't want to come back to school. A lot of parents don't want to send their kids to school no more. It's just something traumatizing," said Alma Hernandez, a senior.
The Barrow County School District is working closely with local law enforcement to provide increased security across all campuses. But not all students are convinced it's safe.
"I feel like it's the same, how people can just walk in," Hernandez explained.
Both the Barrow County Sheriff's Office and Georgia State Patrol have deployed additional personnel to patrol the schools. Mental health support is also being offered at every school in the district to help students and staff cope with the trauma.
"There are some students that seemed kind of just somber, you know, numb, I'd say," Pastor Stephen Perry told FOX 5 Atlanta. "And some that [are] just kind of excited to be back to a little bit of a sense of normalcy to be at school and be with their friends."
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Superintendent Dallas LeDuff assured families that any student who does not feel ready to return to in-person learning can reach out to their school principals to discuss alternative options.
There is no word yet on when Apalachee High School will reopen.