New safety measures for Savannah-Chatham County schools

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A new year means new ways to keep students safe for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System.

It’s one of the school system’s main priorities this year.

“The more eyes and ears we have, we look at that as being a force multiplier and so if more people are reporting concerns, and if we do that in the early stages, it helps us do some early intervention,” said Board of Education Police Department’s Chief of Police, Terry Enoch.

Enoch says they’re starting the year with 68 officers and three new K9 units.

Students will also notice an increased police presence as they head back to the classroom.

WTOC asked him about protocol for on-campus emergencies across the school system.

Including potential active shooter events.

“We have a active shooter threat simulation lab where we train in coordination with first responders on how we make a coordinated response to an active shoot,” said Enoch.

The school system will also fall in line with the state to mandate panic buttons for teachers to wear.

It’s called Rickie and Alyssa’s law, named after two school shooting victims.

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Enoch says, safety begins before the classroom.

“We want to work with our parents. Even when school is out and something happens, we want them to communicate with us. We have a crisis response team that’s willing to, ready to respond,” said Enoch.