Georgia official seeks more school safety money after Apalachee High shooting

ATLANTA — Georgia’s state school superintendent says he wants the state to spend more money to guarantee security officers and wearable panic alert buttons after a school shooting killed four at Apalachee High School northeast of Atlanta.

Richard Woods, a Republican elected statewide, also said Monday that he wants to expand a state-sponsored program to provide mental health care to students and to better share information about threats among police, schools and other agencies.

“It is crucial that we redouble our efforts to secure our schools and protect every student in our state,” Woods said in a statement.

Woods is the second statewide leader to make proposals following the the Sept. 4 shooting at the high school in Winder. His ideas on expanding mental health care and information sharing mirror those voiced last week by Republican state House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington.

Gov. Brian Kemp has said he would review any proposals but said the investigation is still turning up new information. A spokesperson for Republican Lt. Gov Burt Jones said he is preparing a response.

Democrats have been slamming Republicans, arguing that the shooting is an outgrowth of the GOP loosening Georgia’s gun laws. Woods didn’t propose any changes to gun laws.

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