Peach Tree Times

State Representative Devan Seabaugh has teamed up with Cobb County School Superintendent Chris Ragsdale to launch a new school safety initiative. The strategy aims to enhance the existing security measures in place across the district, focusing on proactive threat identification and prevention.

"Superintendent Ragsdale and I were brainstorming on how we could take school safety to the next level in Cobb," said Rep. Seabaugh. He emphasized that while current measures like armed resource officers, security cameras, and emergency notification systems are effective, there is room for improvement. "But we wanted to go further to try to identify, monitor and stop potential threats before they even approach our schools."

Seabaugh facilitated connections between the superintendent and intelligence officials he had worked with previously. This collaboration seeks to integrate advanced technology into the district's safety protocol, potentially setting a standard for other districts statewide.

"This marks the beginning of a new era in school safety for the Cobb County School District," said Superintendent Ragsdale. He expressed gratitude for state appropriations aiding this effort, noting that any tool preventing a threat would be invaluable.

The district will initially conduct a safety assessment at three local schools with experts from the intelligence community. Their recommendations will aim at detecting and preventing threats such as gang activities or cyber exploitation.