Habersham schools meet state safety standards ahead of school year

CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — Habersham County Schools has met all requirements of Georgia’s new school safety law nearly a year before many of its provisions take effect, district officials told the Board of Education Thursday as students prepared to return to classrooms for the first day of school.

During the board’s monthly work session, Habersham County Schools Chief of Police Murray Kogod outlined the district’s progress implementing House Bill 268, a sweeping school safety measure passed by the Georgia General Assembly in 2025. While several provisions of the law do not become mandatory until July 1, 2027, Kogod said the district is already in compliance.

“These are things that we’ve been working on for a while,” Kogod told board members.

Among the district’s safety measures is a school resource officer assigned to every campus through partnerships with the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, Cornelia Police Department and Baldwin Police Department.

Kogod said Habersham County Schools also has implemented the SAFER threat assessment program, allowing school administrators to evaluate and document potential threats while ensuring those records follow students as they transition between schools.

The district has also strengthened its bullying prevention efforts, adopted a standardized process for determining whether incidents meet the legal definition of bullying and expanded behavioral intervention programs.

All schools now have secure vestibules, locked classroom doors, visitor management through the Raptor system and Centegix emergency notification technology, Kogod said. Staff members also receive standardized safety training across the district.

Students play a role in school safety

Board member Doug Westmoreland asked how the district is teaching students to help keep campuses secure, recalling a visit to the Ninth Grade Academy several years ago when students opened a secured exterior door after he knocked on the glass.

Kogod said that experience prompted changes in how students are trained.

Beginning last school year, students at Habersham Ninth Grade Academy and Habersham Central High School began receiving safety presentations covering emergency response strategies and their own responsibilities in maintaining school security.

“We’ve made them part of our team,” Kogod said. “We tell them everything they need to know about keeping our school safe.”

Students are instructed not to open secured exterior doors for anyone and to report unlocked doors or other safety concerns to school staff.

Anonymous reporting system coming

The district also plans to launch the Sandy Hook Promise anonymous reporting system this fall.

The multilingual platform will allow students, parents and staff to confidentially report potential threats or safety concerns and fulfills another requirement of House Bill 268.

Kogod also highlighted the district’s new STAR initiative — Store Technology Achieve Results — which supports Georgia’s distraction-free learning law by providing students with a structured way to store personal electronic devices during the school day.

“We’re not trying to punish them,” Kogod said. “We really want them to refocus on learning and one-on-one conversation.”

Parents also will have opportunities to meet school resource officers before football games this fall as part of a new community outreach effort.

Looking ahead, Kogod said planning has already begun for a full-scale active shooter exercise at Habersham Central High School in the summer of 2028 involving law enforcement, fire departments, emergency medical services and school personnel.

Schools ready for students

District administrators also told the board schools are prepared to welcome approximately 7,000 students when classes begin Friday.

Dr. Susan Davis, director of elementary schools, said about 90% of families attended open houses this week.

“The stage is set,” Davis said. “The joy is ready, and so tomorrow is going to kick off our best year yet.”

Davis said families expressed appreciation for the district’s continued free breakfast and lunch program and Habersham Ready initiative, which provides classroom supplies for students.

Assistant Superintendent David Leenman said secondary schools have remained busy throughout the summer with athletics, band practices and other activities, leaving campuses ready for the transition into the new school year.

Leenman encouraged students to focus on the “ABCs” this year: attendance, behavior and course performance.

He said attendance during the first 10 days of ninth grade is the strongest predictor of whether a student will graduate from high school — more significant than socioeconomic status, middle school grades or standardized test scores.

“Chronically absent students, it’s not just about missing assignments,” Leenman said. “They’re losing the connection when they’re not there.”

Leenman also announced the district will seek board approval Monday to purchase 500 Chromebooks for seven schools at a cost of $241,555. The devices, funded through ESPLOST, are needed to comply with Georgia’s new distraction-free learning law, which prohibits students from bringing personal laptops and similar devices to school.

The recommended purchase from Princeton IT Services will serve Cornelia Elementary, North Habersham Middle, South Habersham Middle, H.A. Wilbanks Middle, Habersham Ninth Grade Academy, Habersham Success Academy and Habersham Central High School.

Speaking as both a district administrator and parent, Leenman said he is confident in the school system heading into the new year.

“There’s nowhere else I would rather raise my family, have my students than Habersham County Schools,” he said. “I’m just so grateful for another year when we are ready to start.”