Students at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia returned to school this week after a mass shooting unfolded on campus on September 4, 2024.
The mass shooting at Apalachee High School killed two students and two teachers. It was the deadliest school shooting in the United States since March of 2023. Winder is located roughly 40 miles from Tech’s campus and is home to around 20,000, according to the last Census.
The school hosted an Open House on Sept. 23 and will have half-days from Sept. 24 through Oct. 4, and will return to full days on Oct. 14 after a week-long Fall break, according to a release from Apalachee High School and the Barrow County School System.
The school also shared that there would be an increased presence of law enforcement, as well as additional counselors and therapy dogs. The Barrow County Board of Education also approved funding for eight more district resource officers during a school board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
The site of the fatal shooting, known as J Hall, has been closed off and will remain inaccessible for the remainder of the school year. The release from Apalachee High School also detailed plans for Social Studies classes at a nearby school with buses to take students to and from the site. The school anticipates having new classroom pods by January 2025.
“I want to commend our faculty, staff, parents, and students for the courage and compassion they showed today during our first day back on campus. While I know today was difficult, it was an important step toward recovery for our Chee Nation,” shared Jessica Rehberg, Apalachee High School principal, after the school’s first day.
“Thanks to our AHS Family, law enforcement, counselors, mental health providers, and transportation team, we welcomed 88% of our students back to campus.”
Despite the efforts to return students to campus, some feel that not enough has been done to guarantee the safety of students. A petition filed by Change for Chee on Sept. 19 titled “Immediate Safety Measures to Be Implemented Before Apalachee Students Return” says that “No substantial changes have been made to prevent weapons from entering the school.”
The petition, which has collected 1,277 signatures, also calls for more communication with parents, community feedback, more preventive measures towards guns on campus, an online learning option, clear bag policies, metal detectors and numerous other changes to the phased return plans.
Harrison Chan, an 11th-grade Jackson County High School student, recalls the confusion at his school on September 4. Chan was practicing a percussion quartet with his friends in the hallway when another friend came running to the group.
“Apalachee is on hard lockdown,” his friend told them. Chan could not believe something so out of the ordinary could be happening just 30 minutes from them, so he did not believe his friend. However, news came out confirming the event in his next class.
Chan mentions rumors at his school spreading about there being 5 suspects at Apalachee but only one had been caught, as well as the other 4 supposedly going to nearby schools.
“The hallways are usually really crowded but that day they were almost empty,” he remembers from the following day. Despite the additional resource officers present, many stayed home in fear. Teachers who left their doors open locked them from that day onwards. The school had taken a wary path.
The continuing discomfort of guns being present on school property has been felt across the state and nation. In the aftermath of the shooting, several other schools in the area and across the state of Georgia have experienced threats of violence across social media platforms and on campuses.
Across the state of Georgia, 98 students in 56 counties were taken into custody within two weeks after the shooting at Apalachee, according to reporting from the New York Times. “Copycat” threats after major mass shootings are not uncommon, however, several experts say that the number of threats after Apalachee has grown.
A county sheriff in Florida is taking an unorthodox approach to tackling these threats by posting the names and faces of those who make these threats, as well as their parents. Volusia county
Sheriff Mike Chitwood gained national attention for posting the picture and name of an 11-year-old middle school student who made threats towards a school. Since then he has also taken to his social media accounts to post videos of those arrested for making shooting threats doing the “perp walk”.
As students at Apalachee High School slowly return to the classroom, the school year continues for millions across the country. The long-term effects of gun violence and threats in schools have been reported to contribute to behavioral disorders in children, both of which can have long-lasting effects, according to a Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) study.
The study also shows that school shootings can “lead to an increase in student absenteeism and the likelihood of needing to repeat a grade in the two following years.”
The Technique would like to express our deepest condolences to the victims and their loved ones, as well as all those affected by the tragic event at Apalachee High School. The impact of these events spreads across the state of Georgia, and if anyone needs to seek help, resources are available at mentalhealth.gatech.edu, or 404-894-3498 for immediate support.