Dear Paulding County School District Families,
By now, you may be aware of the tragic school shooting that occurred this morning in Barrow County. While details of the incident continue to emerge, our entire school community grieves for the families of Apalachee High School. I ask for your thoughts and prayers for Apalachee High School, the Barrow County School System, and their entire community as they navigate this heartbreaking situation.
We want you to know that in light of this tragic event, we are here to support our students and staff. Our school counselors are available to talk with those who need support during the school day. Additional resources can be found on our website under the Counseling Department or here. For anyone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis, we encourage them to speak to a trained crisis counselor by calling or texting 988. The 988 Lifeline is a national crisis hotline and parents and students can find more information here.
In the Paulding County School District, we continue to emphasize student and staff safety through our partnership with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, our Safety and Security Department, and the strategic deployment of security measures, practices, and protocols to help keep our schools safe. Safety is our highest priority throughout the school year. As a reminder, the eyes and ears of our students, staff, and guests are a tremendous resource. “See Something, Say Something” continues to be one of the most effective safety practices in our schools. If anyone sees or hears something they believe might be a threat to the safety of our students, staff, or guests they should immediately report it to a teacher, administrator, security professional, or any responsible adult. Information about our Vector Solutions Anonymous Tip Line can be found here.
Additionally, last year the school district recorded a safety presentation hosted by Michael Ruple, the school district's Executive Director of Safety. You can still watch a replay on the school district's Safety & Security website here.
Thank you for helping keep our schools a safe and positive learning environment for all students, staff, and guests.
Sincerely,
