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Gwinnett County teachers hold 'secret meeting' about rise in school violence

By Brittany Edney
Updated  December 5, 2022 11:32pm EST
Gwinnett County Public Schools
FOX 5 Atlanta

Teachers meet privately in response to school violence

Teachers with Gwinnett County Public Schools met in secret on Monday voicing their concerns over a dramatic spike in violence talking place on campuses.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - An increase in violence led Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) teachers to meet in secret Monday night.

Hours prior, FOX 5 received a poster which promoted a private meeting among GCPS teachers and staff. We attempted to talk to those in attendance, but were asked to leave the property.

Parents like Mike Corbin say they do not blame educators for being fed up with violence in schools.

"Are we going to lose quality teachers because they're worried about their safety due to policies?" Corbin asked. "You know, I fear that teachers may leave and that's not what we want."

Flier advertising secret meeting for Gwinnett County School District teachers. (FOX 5 Atlanta)

A spokesperson for Gwinnett County Public Schools said from August through Oct. 2021, there were 473 fights involving 724 students. Fast-forward to the same time frame this year and those numbers jumped up to 638 fights with 947 students.

"When violence comes in, all the other things go down because you start to see all the good teachers leave, you start to see all the families move out. Education has such a big impact, and it can cause our communities to fail," said Corbin.

FOX 5 reached out to the district to see if it wanted to provide any type of statement on the increase in violence within the school system, but officials did not provide one.