The Richmond County school system’s posture of concealing information and hoping nobody asks needs adjustment. Parents need to demand accountability from local school boards and those tasked with students’ safety.
In an environment when school violence has gained nationwide attention, one would think that school systems would promote full disclosure to foster students and parents reporting potential threats. Instead, Richmond County refuses to provide details and work transparently.
School Board public information officer Lynthia Ross stated that she sends notices to parents but not the media unless a formal written request is made. Ross did confirm there is no official policy that prohibits her from sending reports to the media but rather it is her process.
Realizing that The Augusta Press staff was willing to file an open records request daily on every single incident and notice sent to parents, Ross immediately uploaded all of the notices sent to parents for the school year so far. Incident reports with more detail were not provided.
Not all parents receive the email notices, and the notices only go to the school where the incident occurred. Currently, the media is not being notified when an incident involving a weapon or threat of violence occurs. The school system only responds when they absolutely have no choice but to provide info to the media.
So far this school year there have been multiple incidents parents need to be aware of.
Richmond County parents have been notified of seven incidents involving weapons being brought to schools and one case where a student took a picture of another student using the restroom. The student then sent the photo to students all over the school. This serious incident could have significant ramifications for the mental health of the affected student. No details were provided on what happened to the offending student.
One letter sent to parents is so vague that it is not clear what happened. The letter simply states that a student was picked up by the sheriff’s office for questioning regarding “community related activities.” No explanation is provided on what “community related activities” entails. What could a middle school student have done to warrant a letter going to parents?
One of the most alarming incidents involved a student at Westside High School on August 18. The letter to parents references a concern that was brought to light about a potential student threatening to bring a gun to school. An investigation the next day found a different student with a gun, but the letter to parents is not clear whether that student and the original student who made a threat were related. The letter does not say if either student was arrested or what the outcome of the incident was.
Notices sent out to parents were uploaded to a new online portal being tested by the school system. Members of the public can’t find the site by searching yet, but it is supposed to be available in September. Below is the below link to the site. https://richmondcountyschoolsystemga.nextrequest.com
It is the right of any citizen to file an open records request, and we encourage citizens to do so to foster an atmosphere of transparency.
Parents deserve detailed information on incidents that could threaten the safety of their children, and the media needs to be informed so it can spread the word to the community that pays for schools. Whenever an incident involves a weapon or there is a threat of violence, all parents’ county wide and the media should be made aware immediately. The media should not have to file a written request to obtain information that any superintendent, school board member or staffer or public information officer worth his or her salt has to know is in the public interest. It should not require the media to file daily written requests. It is time for Richmond County School System to commit to transparency and openness.
We challenge school board members in both Richmond and Columbia counties to create a policy proposal that would require openness and transparency by all system employees. And we urge members to do so sooner rather than later.
The Augusta Press is dedicated to ensuring that local government is accountable to the citizens it serves. This includes the local school boards. In these perilous times when school violence is constantly in the national news, protecting our students has never been more important. Protecting students starts with transparency and a free flow of information.
We are committed to pushing our local school boards to adopt an attitude of cooperation and transparency to help foster trust between parents, school board members and administrators.
And we urge parents to demand accountability from local school boards and those tasked with students’ safety.
