Cross Creek parents join RCSS school leaders for school safety meeting following multiple on-campus incidents

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Conversations about school safety continue around the CSRA, just two months since the first day of school.

Richmond County school leaders held a parent meeting at Cross Creek High School Monday night to talk about just that.

This comes after multiple incidents on campus this year, and the recent school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.

NewsChannel 6 learned about metal detectors going into Cross Creek, and listened as parents and school leaders had conversations about the changes they say need to be made.

“This should have been standing room only. I think more parents should have been here–they were well informed that the meeting was going on, they had enough time. I understand people have schedules, but it’s very important that we get involved in our schools,” said My-ie Robinson.

Parent involvement was one of the big talking points for school leaders at the meeting.

Principal Dr. LaQuanda Carpenter stressing the importance of checking backpacks–last month the school reported that administrators had to confiscate a gun from a student on campus.

“I encourage you as the principal to please check bookbags. Know what your young person is bringing into your home. And if you find such items, please confiscate them, and take them out of the hands of our young people,” said Carpenter.

A week before that incident, law enforcement had to break up a fight in the school parking lot, where one student had possession of a gun, but was not used during that fight.

School leaders reminded parents and students of the consequences.

“And if we find such an item, again, you will be disciplined according to our code of conduct–and you will be turned over to law enforcement as well. Such items are not allowed on our school campuses,” Carpenter said.

The school is also one of several in the county that were recently targeted by an online threat through a social media post.

Deputy Superintendent Horace Dunson stressing to families the importance of getting involved with their students and the school.

“The social media trend obviously has caused a lot of anxiety, and a lot of false reports. But we recognize that we still must respond, even if it is a false report. But we do need you to talk to your young people, and reach out to us,” said Dunson.

School leaders believe these incidents stem from various places.

Carpenter shared with parents that administrators at the school have seen a recent uptick in THC vapes being passed around by students.

“We have seen students giving these vapes to other students. We have seen students having mental reactions to these vapes, and we have also seen students having very harmful physical reactions to these vapes,” said Carpenter. “We are constantly reminding our students to not inhale, breathe, or smoke any item from any other student–because you really don’t know what substance you are inhaling.”

Another issue Cross Creek administrators are addressing is students cutting class–putting a stop to it with “tardy sweeps”, that Carpenter says have started within the past few weeks.

“When students skip class, it creates opportunity for them to misbehave, get in trouble, and interact with something that they should not,” Carpenter said. “We have begun to do tardy sweeps over the last couple of weeks.”

She says the tardy sweeps keep track of what students are in the classroom on time, and which students fail to enter the classroom by the time the bell rings.

For students still in the hallway at the beginning of class time, Carpenter says they will be escorted to In-School-Suspension on campus, and they remain there for the class period.

A teacher supervising the class then sends an email to the school staff to let them know who was “swept”.

“Our hallway behavior as adults is critical to the behavior of the students,” said Carpenter.

Dunson also sharing the school system’s plans to install a metal detector program at the school to further ensure safety at the school.

“This is not a new concept in education–it is one that we have investigated and invested a lot in over the last year and a half,” said Dunson. “We’ve had training for our staff, we rolled it out during summer school to get some of the kinks out–but we are preparing to implement a weapons detection system here at Cross Creek very soon.”

“If you don’t remember anything else tonight, I want you to know that most of our students are doing the right thing, and are making good choices,” Dr. Carpenter added.

“I’m glad that they did inform us, and I think it’s a conversation that needs to be had,” Robinson said.

Dunson says the plan is to install the metal detectors around the school by October 1st.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.