GEMA/HS Dispatch December 2017 Edition | Page 15

Plant Vogtle is one of three nuclear facilities with the GEMA/HS REP Program. (Photo courtesy of Georgia Power) By Lisa Rodriguez-Presley I t’s one of the last places people may think of when they think about crime, but high profile incidents at schools around the country have brought the issue to the forefront of discussion for administrators, teachers, public safety personnel and community groups. It takes all of them working together to ensure the safety of students and in an effort to help them attain that goal, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, Georgia Department of Education and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia sponsored the eighth annual Safety in Our Schools Conference at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center June 28-30. With session topics ranging from school climate to discipline strategies, to first aid to criminal investigation, there were opportunities for people to explore areas of school safety outside of their current areas of expertise. For some, the conference was an affirmation of plans and processes their schools already have in place. Continued on Pg. 10 DISPATCH