School may install video cameras due to violence

DACULA - A committee of parents, students and educators has recommended that Dacula High School install video cameras following a stabbing at the building.<br> <br> The suggestion was one of many safety ideas forwarded this week to Gwinnett County Public Schools chief J. Alvin Wilbanks, said principal Donnie Nutt.<br> <br> Nutt said the community feels it is important to act before Dacula High is placed on a state list of persistently dangerous schools.<br> <br> According to the state Department of Education, if a school has more than three serious incidents of violence in a three-year period, it can be classified as ``persistently dangerous.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> That designation could mean costly sanctions under the federal No Child Left Behind law.<br> <br> An Aug. 15 stabbing at the school, combined with two other incidents in previous years, means Dacula High could earn the label once the list is released next year.<br> <br> In anticipation of the classification, Nutt formed the committee to develop safety ideas at the school, which has an enrollment of 2,926 but is built for 1,475 students.<br> <br> Installing cameras was the most discussed suggestion, according to the final report released Friday.<br> <br> ``A child who is planning on doing something may not because they&#39;ll be on video,&#39;&#39; Nutt said. ``If something happens, then obviously we have a record.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Nutt said specifics about where the cameras will go and how much they will cost has not yet been decided.<br> <br> If approved, Dacula High wouldn&#39;t be the only Gwinnett school with cameras. Collins Hill, Norcross, Grayson and Peachtree Ridge high schools are all equipped with the systems.