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Gwinnett Schools new meeting safety proceedures
Following months of heated debates and protests, security at the Gwinnett County School Board meetings will be stepped up including going through screening before entering.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - One metro Atlanta school district is now requiring all attendees to go through a metal detector and a security screening before public meetings.
These are two additional safety procedures Gwinnett County Public Schools have put in place following some tense meetings recently.
Some parents said it's a waste of money and an effort to intimidate them.
All of the parents spoke with said the metal detectors and other security measures are absurd and unnecessary and push a false narrative that they're dangerous.
Several uniformed officers greeted parents at these two metal detectors once inside GCPS headquarters Thursday night.
Their bags searched as they pass through.
"I think it sends the message that the board is losing control and they're trying to double down and scare the parents," parent James McNelly. "They’re trying to paint the picture that the parents are terrorists. We're Not. We just want the best for the children."
Since May, the district said they've implemented a number of additional safety measures during these meetings including increasing the number of security resource officers here and having additional staff monitoring the room.
These measures come following protests outside their headquarters and heated public meetings - often related to the mask debate.
The district said they're committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone who attends.
"Our schools and our children they should have this type of security," Holly Terei explained.
During the meeting, staff handed out their new Expected Behavior and Decorum Guidelines of Visitors.
It states that people are not allowed to bring posters or signs or disrupt a speaker.
They must be civilized and masks are required.
"There has been no violence,' McNelly explained.
The district said if someone continues to be dispositive, they’ll be removed and could face criminal charges.
But parents banned from attending Thursday over not wearing a mask aren't back down from what they believe is right.
"I definitely will come back and I will not wear a mask again and hopefully they get the message and they change the protocol," McNelly explained.
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