Will Fannin County teachers be armed? School officials aren't saying

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. - Students in Fannin County are heading back to school Friday.  Teachers will be in their classrooms with their books, the blackboards, and possibly guns.  

In the spring, the Fannin County School Board unanimously adopted a policy to allow certain teachers to be armed.  Under the policy, teachers and staff who volunteered to carry a weapon would undergo a training program approved by the superintendent and the sheriff.  

But now that school is back in session, school officials won't say if they've followed through with that policy.  In an email from Superintendent Dr. Michael Gwatney, he wrote: "The board of education reserves the option to take action that is permitted by state law; whether and/or how the Board chooses to implement the policy is a confidential matter." 

School officials say they're not telling for the safety of the students. 

"What they're going to do or how they're going to do it, I don't know, but they're going to put them in good hands," said parent Tina Dillingham. 

Allan Baughan who supports arming teachers, says if the bad guys don't know if there are weapons inside the school, that's a deterrent in itself. 

"If people think there's resistance they're not going to come in," said Baughan.

While school officials aren't saying whether there will be any guns inside the building, they did tell parents that they've added a new security system, that includes staff and students carrying cards that they have to swipe to get into the building.