The Fulton County School Board of Education met on Thursday, September 22, 2022, for its regularly scheduled Board meeting at the South Learning Center. The following are highlights of some of the more highly discussed topics, with the full agenda available online. Other topics discussed or approved are available via BoardDocs. Summaries of Board actions can be found here and Board policy updates can be found here.

Superintendent’s Report

In an ongoing effort to ensure safety and security within the district, Superintendent Mike Looney updated the Board on the latest measures being put in place to protect students and schools.

Exterior Exit Door Stopper Update
Dr. Looney shared the district has begun to install alarms called “exit door stoppers” and already equipped the exterior doors at all high schools. The alarms will help school administrators by alerting them to the improper use and opening of exits, while still allowing for emergency use. The installation at elementary and middle schools will continue with an expected finish in late October.

Flock Safety Cameras
The Board took action to approve the purchase of flock safety cameras that can read license plates of cars entering school campuses at all schools in the district.

Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) capture computer-readable images of license plates, allowing law enforcement agencies to compare plate numbers against those of stolen cars or cars driven by people suspected of being involved in criminal activities. The cameras capture license plates and vehicle characteristics, not people or faces, and send real-time alerts to law enforcement when a vehicle associated with a wanted suspect or endangered person passes the camera.

“Our goal is to ensure that everyone feels safe on their school campus,” said Superintendent Mike Looney, Ed.D. “We are constantly thinking about ways to secure our campuses and protect students and staff, while protecting their privacy.”

The school district’s ALPR acquisition follows the practice of local and national law enforcement agencies who use the technology for preventing crime and identifying those who may be suspected of criminal activity. The information from ALPR cameras can help determine whether a vehicle was at the scene of a crime and to discover vehicles that may be associated with each other. The cameras can also integrate information from national or state crime databases to provide real-time alerts when a vehicle associated with a known suspect or a stolen vehicle passes the camera.

Any captured camera data will be owned by Fulton County Schools and will never be sold or shared with third parties, except in situations where it is shared with other law enforcement agencies. Camera data and footage is encrypted, stored in a cloud, and permanently deleted after 30 days. The license plate reading cameras will be used to maintain a safe campus and are not intended for minor traffic or parking violations.

Bridge to Success Update
Chief Academic Officer Cliff Jones and Director of Federal Programs Montreal Bell co-presented an update on the Bridge to Success plan specifically related to “Summer Learning 2022,” a four-week session held at 33 sites across the district. The program served 9,295 face-to-face students and 5,827 Fulton Virtual students.

New this past year, the district employed a targeted invitation process for students based on their Georgia Milestones performance. This past summer saw the largest summer school enrollment in the district’s history at 15,122 students, increasing in part by expanding the program to serve students in grades 1-12. Jones indicated there has been a substantial increase in students attending summer school seeking face-to-face summer support. Ninety-eight percent of elementary school students passed one or more of their summer school courses. Seventy-nine percent of middle school students passed one or more summer school courses, and high school students earned an additional 4,575 credits, resulting in an additional 68 summer graduates. Summer Learning key curriculum pieces targeted literacy and numeracy support for our students.

During Ms. Bell’s presentation, she encouraged stakeholders and the public to provide input and feedback on the use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding. The public can provide their feedback on Fulton’s plans by taking the survey here. The survey will remain open until Monday, September 26.

Ms. Bell also encouraged stakeholders to continue to visit the Bridge to Success website at fultonschools.org/BridgeToSuccess to learn more about initiatives happening in schools and in the district. Her team has been working with the Budget and Accounting teams to prepare completion reports for both ESSER I and ESSER II funds. Stakeholders can provide feedback regarding the Bridge to Success by emailing ARP_ESSER@fultonschools.org. Find the full presentation here.

Board Matters
Each month, the Board of Education recognizes outstanding students, staff and schools that have been honored at the state, national or international levels. Below are the superstars who were highlighted in September.

Alpharetta CTAE Audio/Video Students Win National Student Production Awards
Alpharetta High School’s Audio/Video Technology and Film program won six student awards at the 2022 Student Production Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Awards were won by Jimmy Krutak for Non-Fiction Long Form Video and Audio/Sound, and Logan Filos for Best Director.

Webb Bridge Middle School Wins Multiple Awards at 2022 Georgia PTA Convention
At the summer Georgia PTA Convention, Webb Bridge Middle School took home four awards including the Model PTA for Georgia, Visionary Award for Georgia for teachers Jennifer Foil and Kathy Cook, Birney Butler Outstanding Educator award for Georgia for teacher Janelle Consola, and the Hearst Family School Partnership Award for Georgia.

Westlake High School DECA Students Win State Award
Winning Students Ava Stacker, Layla Turner and Ayman Suleman placed first at the 2022 Georgia DECA Fall Rally Competition in Marketing.