School shooting in Georgia renews concerns over safety

The recent school mass shooting has understandably heightened safety concerns among parents, educators, and law enforcement agencies nationwide.

A sense of panic and dread was evident on the faces of parents and students at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia early Wednesday morning.

NBC 5 asked law enforcement consultant Craig Miller for insight into what investigations like the one unfolding in Georgia entail and whether Texas is better equipped to handle such an emergency now than before.

Miller says it is still very early in the investigation, but some of the questions investigators are likely seeking out immediately. They likely include how the student managed to bring a firearm onto campus, the location of school resource officers at the time of the gunfire, and what the gunman’s motive was.

“Was this something where someone was bullying him? Was he on their radar,” asked Miller. “Had he been identified through a threat assessment team? Does Georgia have threat assessment teams that are required or mandated by the state like we do here in Texas?”

Craig Miller spent eight years leading the Dallas Independent School District Police Department and 30 years with the Dallas Police Department.

“I believe that Texas is very prepared for an incident like this,” he said.

Miller represents cities and plaintiffs in police use of force civil rights violations cases across the country and has conducted safety audits for school districts.

He believes law enforcement has learned from mistakes made during the May 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

“Uvalde and then Santa Fe [high school shooting] before that have kind of set the groundwork for a lot of legislative issues, changes that have taken place in the state of Texas,” he said.

There are several new safety requirements parents will notice this school year, including:

• A silent panic button in all classrooms that immediately connects to first responders.
• A continued push for armed guards at every public school campus.
• Training of certain district employees to recognize mental health concerns or substance abuse in students
• Provide an up-to-date map of school campuses to the Texas Department of Public Safety, local police, and first responders
• Contact parents when violence is happening anywhere within the district
• School districts are also required to have one drill of each of the following each semester: lockdown, evacuation, security, and shelter in place.

Miller says the solution cannot depend solely on law enforcement and must involve close cooperation between school administrators and law enforcement partners.

“They've got to be on the same page and sometimes that is still a struggle, not just in Texas, but that's a struggle across the country,” said Miller.

The most recent shooting inside a DFW school building happened last April at Wilmer Hutchins High School in Dallas. Police say a student brought a gun inside and shot a classmate in the leg. A subsequent investigation finding staff did not follow policy and a metal detector was not working.

In August, current DISD Chief of Police Albert Martinez told NBC 5, that the new school year brought improvements to school safety.

“We're bringing in new metal detectors,” said Martinez. “We've improved some of our camera systems so that we have better quality video.”

Miller, however, cautions any school district from focusing limited funding on tools and technology over the need to address mental health problems in a social media-driven society.

“Metal detectors on a surface seem like a great procurement, but they're really not,” he said. “If someone says, I'm going to give you $10 million to put new ballistic shields in place for police officers. That's not as important in my mind as hiring more school counselors to help kids who are having problems.”

Experts agree parents and guardians play a pivotal role in preventing violence at school.

“Talk to your children,” said Miller. “Hey, look, if something's out there, it doesn't matter if you think it's a threat or it's not a threat. We as your parents need to know about that because we can talk to the schools.”

It is also important for parents to remain engaged with their child’s school.

“One of the things that we do ask of our parents is to please update your contact information,” said Martinez. “Sometimes we find that the information hasn't been updated.”