The Hall County School District is encouraging community members to follow the "see something, say something," mantra as it continues to promote student and teacher safety.
Andy Betancourt, safety and security assistant with the district, said informing officials of any potential concerns is the best way to prevent a potentially dangerous or criminal situation in area schools.
"The best eyes and ears we have are our students and our parents. We get a lot of phone calls ... saying, 'Hey, my child brought this home with me. Hey, I saw this on my child's Facebook or Twitter,'" Betancourt said. "It doesn't matter how minimal you think it is, because something small could turn out to be something big."
Eric Radich, purchasing manager with the schools, said annual threat assessment reports from the Secret Service show that many school threats can be prevented.
"One of the things they point out is more times than not, somebody knew that something was going to happen before it did," Radich said. "The kids in our hallways, they know when something's off with one of their peers. They hear things or they see things."
Students, parents and other community members have a variety of options when it comes to informing the district of potential threats or concerns, according to Betancourt. Specifically, anyone with information about a potential safety issue can discuss it with a school administrator or a school resource officer.
The community can also submit an anonymous tip via the district's various safety tip resources. An anonymous tip can be texted to 678-865-6282. Photos can be texted to this number, as well. Those wishing to make an anonymous tip over a phone call can dial 770-503-3232 or call the school's principal.
An anonymous tip form can also be filled out at this link. Radich said the anonymous tip resources can be useful for other concerns as well, such as bullying situations or concerns about a school bus driving erratically.
Finally, if there are any immediate threats, please dial 911.
Betancourt said these resources have prevented dangerous situations in the past. One recent incident occurred early in December 2022 when a school resource officer found and confiscated two handguns at a Cherokee Bluff High School basketball game. Betancourt said the SRO was informed about the weapons, which led to the confiscation.
If a student or parent views an apparent safety threat on a social media platform or otherwise, Betancourt said to make sure to take a photo or screenshot.
"A picture's worth a thousand words," Betancourt said. "You know you could say, 'Hey, I saw this.' Well, who did it come from? What did it look like? 'Oh, I don't know.' Take a picture and save that."
More information on safety in Hall County Schools can be found here.
