FULTON COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Atlanta Public Schools officials will try to get the district's Board of Education to approve a plan that would give the district its own police force.
This comes after student Morgan Tukes, 17, brought a gun onto campus and accidentally shot herself in the thigh on Wednesday. Tukes is recovering and has been arrested on several charges.
School officials such as Grady High School Principal Vincent Murray, Assistant Superintendent Steve Smith as well as Chief Marquenta Sands, the director of school safety and security for APS, listened to feedback from parents for two hours on Thursday night at the Grady auditorium.
"Our communities deserve safe schools, and what happened yesterday is simply unacceptable," Smith said.
Parent Elizabeth Rogen said she does not want Grady to become "a fortress."
"This is not a metal detector issue, this is about this girl and the world that she lives in," Rogen said.
One thing parents want to change is the district's cell phone policy. Right now, high school students may bring phones to campus, but they must be put away and turned off during school hours. But many parents said the only way they were able to get in touch with their children and make sure they were OK was through cell phone calls and text messages. District officials said they are going to change the cell phone policy to be less strict.
Murray told parents that officials are working on a plan to make the school safer, and encourages students and community members who think they have information about students bringing weapons to campus, to call an anonymous APS tip line at 877-801-7754.
"We are leaning on each other for comfort and understanding," Murray said. "This has been a challenging time for Grady and the school system."
Grady administrators will also put out a box where students can anonymously leave tips.
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Grady High School auditorium
