Georgia officers increase presence at Barrow County schools as students prepare to return

Georgia police will ramp up their presence at schools across Barrow County as students begin returning to classes Tuesday.

Sep 9, 2024 - 20:00
Georgia officers increase presence at Barrow County schools as students prepare to return

Georgia police are beefing up the security presence at schools across Barrow County as students are set to return to classes this week following the Apalachee High School shooting.

Classes are set to resume on Tuesday, though school administrators say students who aren't ready to return do not have to. District Superintendent Dallas LeDuff confirmed the increased police presence in a statement last week. 

"We believe we need to be together as soon as possible to move forward and to provide some sense of familiarity for our students," LeDuff said in a statement.

"We know these are challenging times, and we are here for you," he added. "We will have extra support and security, including more law enforcement, at each of our schools."

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The Barrow County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding the nature of the heightened security and how long it will last.

This weekend, hundreds of people gathered for a vigil to honor the victims, according to Fox5 Atlanta.

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Police identified the four victims of the shooting as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and math teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie.

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report