Dear editor:
I was very pleased to read the front page article in the Messenger’s July 21 edition regarding law enforcement preparing for active shooter scenarios at Putnam schools. The proactive measures by both our Putnam County Sheriff and Eatonton Police Chief appear both appropriate and timely. However, it is disingenuous that the information in the article attributed to a Retro Report video which claimed “homicides in schools are not on the increase but are essentially flat across decades.” Mr. Ken Vance, Putnam County Charter School System Director of Safety should be aware that this information is either quite dated or bogus.
The National Center for Educational Statistics, a part of the federal Department of Education, issued a report on June 28, 2022, that reflected there were 93 school shootings with casualties at U.S. public and private schools in the 2020-21 school year, including 43 incidents with deaths and 50 with injury only. These are the highest numbers in two decades. In the school year 2000-01, there were 23 total incidents.
Regardless of the misinformation presented to our local law enforcement, the effort to familiarize our deputies and police with each charter school’s blueprint and existing security must be appreciated for all county residents, especially with the new 2022-23 school year almost here. Hopefully, the Gatewood School and perhaps daycare providers in the county can, at a minimum, provide details of their campus/facilities. I am confident that Sheriff Sills and Chief Cardwell can facilitate these measures.
Putnam County is a great place to live in no small part because of our civil servants who care for our people.
John T. Michell