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New poll shows overwhelming parental support for accountability, safety measures in Georgia schools

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Published  September 16, 2024 6:55pm EDT
Apalachee High School shooting
FOX 5 Atlanta

Should parents of school shooters be charged too?

A new poll finds that Georgia parents believe the parents of children who use guns to shoot up schools should also be charged.

In brief:

    • Georgia parents prioritize school safety reforms post-Apalachee High shooting.
    • 88% support student consequences for threats; same percent want to be informed of unaddressed threats.
    • 83% believe parents should be liable if children use their weapons in crimes.
    • Parents call for a multi-faceted approach to safety, including more law enforcement resources and potential arming of teachers

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - School safety is top of mind for several Georgia parents concerned about their own children, following the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder nearly two weeks ago. 

The national polling and research firm Cygnal surveyed over 500 Georgia parents of students in grades K-12 about what reform measures they support to increase school safety. 

"Parents are unified in that they want to see action on protecting students, punishing those who make threats, punishing the parents of students who make threats, and getting to what they see as the root causes," company President Brent Buchanan told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes. 

Over half of those polled said they are extremely concerned about the safety of their children in school and support a wide range of possible solutions. 

"On this issue there was just extreme consensus, on a lot of the points we asked them, about on how they need to deal with this," Buchanan said. 

Eighty-eight percent of parents surveyed agreed that students who threaten to "shoot up a school" should face consequences, like expulsion, arrest, or involuntary commitment to a mental institution. 

Eighty-eight percent of parents also believe administrators, principals, and teachers should be informed, and parents should be allowed to remove their student from a school, if they feel that threats by other students are not being appropriately addressed. 

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The father of the 14-year- old shooting suspect arrested in the Winder case also faces charges. Prosecutors said 54-year-old Colin Gray gave his son the weapon used in the shooting. 

Eighty-three percent of those polled think that parents should be held responsible if their child uses a weapon that is either in their home or provided by a parent to commit a crime. 

"It's not an issue that parents believe is addressed by a single thing, but they are willing to throw anything at the issue at a legislative standpoint," Buchanan said. 

More than 80% of parents surveyed believe law enforcement officers need more resources to keep kids safe, and over half think teachers should be allowed to carry firearms on campus. 

Sources:

  • Cygnal