Habersham resident’s call for school metal detectors leaves funding question unresolved

Kathy Carter asked the Habersham County Commission at its June 26, 2023 called meeting to pay for metal detectors and drug-detection dogs at every school, putting a broader school-security proposal before county officials. Commissioners discussed her concerns and noted that the county already funds 15 school resource officers, but the minutes do not show that the county approved the requested additions.

The request matters because it raises a countywide question of who should finance additional safeguards in Habersham schools and what form those safeguards should take. Adding metal detectors and dogs would go beyond the school resource officer support described in the meeting, with potential effects on students, staff and daily school operations across the system.

Carter’s appeal brought concerns she said involved growing student access to drugs and vaping into a public commission discussion. She also connected the proposed measures to deterring weapons; in response, commissioners pointed to the county’s funding of 15 school resource officers, framing the request as a possible expansion of an existing county role in school safety rather than a documented new program.

Carter urged county financing for detectors and drug dogs at all schools, saying she was worried about drugs and vaping being accessible to children in the school system. County commissioners acknowledged the concern during the meeting and cited the 15 school resource officers the county funds. The minutes do not record a separate position from the school board or school administration, nor do they establish Carter’s statements about the extent of drugs or vaping as findings of fact.

What is documented is a resident request and a commission discussion. What is not documented is a county appropriation, commission vote, contract, policy change, purchase of metal detectors, deployment of drug-detection dogs or installation at any school. The record therefore does not establish that the proposal advanced beyond the June meeting.

The next public sign of movement would be a county commission or Habersham County Board of Education agenda item, discussion or vote on metal detectors, drug-detection dogs or another response to the concerns Carter raised. It remains undecided in the documented record whether either body will fund the measures, determine which government entity would be responsible, or choose a different school-safety approach.