IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Top Gwinnett County stories from July 18-24

The purpose of that homework was simple: to see how GCPS could prevent a similar tragedy from happening in its schools.

“Every year we look at our procedures and review and stuff, but especially after Uvalde, (we were) reviewing the surveillance that came out of there and looking at it from an internal perspective from our department,” Lockhart said. “And, then (there’s) also the report that came out of, I think, the Texas House of Representatives if I’m correct ...

“(GCPS officials were) reviewing that report and saying ‘OK, what are the things that went wrong at Uvalde? OK, what can be improved on and so forth?’ You always look at stuff like that.”

As the 2022-2023 school year looms for GCPS, Lockhart said parents can expect to see more police from various agencies near Gwinnett schools on at least the first few days of school.

GCPS Police will have its 98 officers — all school resource officers — on the job, but Lockhart said other law enforcement agencies in the county will be keeping an eye out near schools as well. That includes Gwinnett County police, the Gwinnett Sheriff’s Office and police from various Gwinnett cities.

“We work in conjunction with the local law enforcement, the cities, the county police department and Sheriff’s Office and asked them, ‘If you can increase your patrols, if an officer just happens to be driving by Walnut Grove Elementary, can they just swing through there and have an added presence,’” Lockhart said.

“It’s more or less routine patrol. Not an officer assigned to a specific school.”

There are two GCPS officers at each high school as well as one officer at specialty schools, such as the Paul Duke STEM High School, and one officer at middle schools. There are also officers spread across the elementary schools.

The district is also highlighting steps it is taking to keep students safe in the schools. Lockhart talked to reporters about some of those steps on Friday afternoon at Collins Hill High School.

One step Gwinnett County schools has in place is double sets of doors that visitors have to be admitted through in order to get in the front door at a school. When someone visits a Gwinnett school, they have to ring a doorbell which has a camera attached to it so employees in the school’s front office can see who rang the doorbell.

Visitors cannot enter the building until the employees in the front office push a button to unlock the front door, and even then, the visitor has only been admitted to a small foyer that has a second set of locked doors that separates them from the interior of the school.

They must check in with an employee at a window in the foyer. That employee will have to push a button to unlock the interior doors before the visitor can get access to areas where classrooms and offices are located.

And, 15 Gwinnett schools — such as Collins Hill — have a Raptor identification system where the employee at the foyer window can check information from the visitor’s driver’s license to see if that person is on any sex offender registries.

“We have multiple layers,” Lockhart said. “There’s the doorbell for the first set of doors, you come in and check in and Raptor and then buzzed in through the second set of doors.”

There are 19 schools that are still in the process of being retrofitted to have the double set of doors that visitors have to be admitted through.

GCPS is also encouraging the use of a Confidential Tip Line, which can be reached by calling 770-822-6513, to report any concerns, such as someone carrying a weapons, drugs or alcohol on campus.

One area that was focused on after the Uvalde shooting was how the shooter was able to get into the elementary school through an unlocked door.

Lockhart said school officials have to juggle securing all of the doors on a school building with maintaining safety steps, such as ensuring students can evacuate the building in the event of a fire.

“That’s the hard thing,” Lockhart said. “How do you harden and secure a school without making it like a military base and so forth and still maintaining fire codes?

“But, yes, all of the doors should be locked at all times and then on an electronic system when the classes change, if students have to transition to trailers or so forth, something like that, they’re electronically controlled. They’ll unlock and then when the bell rings for classes to be back in session, those doors will lock back.”

Lockhart said GCPS has not heard of any specific threats to students as they return to school. The back-to-school period is a high-profile period where the fact that students are heading back to schools receives a lot of media attention.

GCPS’ police chief said the district will deem any threat to be a credible threat until officers can verify that it is not credible. The chief said he department will be working to make sure students are safe when the school year begins in August.

“The safety of the children that attend Gwinnett County Public Schools is the No. 1 priority,” Lockhart said. “That is taken very, very seriously and it’s a very important fact that we keep our kids safe.”

Teachers who argued face masks inhibit them from building relationships with their students were already pleading with district leaders to drop the mandate at the county school board meeting on Thursday.

“The quality of our education is being impaired due to the masks,” Duncan Creek Elementary School first grade teacher Bri Shelton said. “Teachers are run down and anxious when we should be getting excited for a new school year. Some of the best Gwinnett County are leaving in droves.

“When is the mental health of the teachers and the students going to be addressed?”

The mandate for employees puts Gwinnett County Public Schools on track to begin its third consecutive school year with some form of mask mandate in place in the district because of COVID-19. The 2022-2023 school year is expected to have a staggered start for in-person instruction, beginning on Aug. 3.

“The reality is we did see some significant impacts this summer with (the BA.5 COVID variant) starting with summer leadership conference all the way through summer school,” GCPS Chief of Schools Al Taylor told board members during a work session briefing on Thursday afternoon.

“We saw impacts at the local schools and even here at the ISC, we had entire office suites in some instances that were out with COVID, positive COVID tests. Now, the difference is that in the summer, those impacts don’t really have broad implications. We’re operating with skeletal crews in many instances in our local schools. That impact of a staffing shortages, however, will have profound implications when we return to school.”

Although face coverings will be required for employees, they will not be required for students and school visitors. Students and visitors will be able to choose for themselves whether they wear a mask because of a new state law that bars districts from mandating students wear a mask.

The impetus behind the mask mandates is a new rise in cases in recent weeks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reclassified Gwinnett County from the “Low” COVID transmission category to the “High” transmission category.

The CDC listed Gwinnett’s COVID case rate as 227.5 cases per 100,000 on Thursday, but the Georgia Department of Public Health — which only releases numbers it has compiled once a week, on Wednesdays — listed Gwinnett’s two-week new case rate as 385 cases per 100,000 residents.

Despite the recent rise in cases, however, Gwinnett is still well below the numbers seen during the Omicron variant surge seen at the end of 2021. The BA.5 version of COVID-19 that is causing the new rise in numbers is an offshoot variant of Omicron, according to Dr. Audrey Arona, the health district director for GNR Public Health.

“This is the worst variant of Omicron that we’ve seen since (the Omicron surge),” Arona said. “It now represents 66% of all cases in Georgia and it’s very similar for the United States. We saw this in the northeast first. We knew it would come down to our level and it has.

“We do believe this variant is more transmissible. The vaccine is effective, but we’re not sure how effective. Every time there’s a new Omicron variant, it really tries to get around our immunity. Previous Omicron infection, we believe, is still cross protective, but nobody really knows how much.”

Arona said the impact of long COVID is still a concern, but she did point to one aspect of BA.5 that is creating some optimism: It’s less likely than previous variants were to kill someone.

“We’re actually grateful that COVID-19 is behaving like a normal virus now because as a virus mutates, it becomes more transmissible but less deadly because it wants to infect a whole bunch of people and if it kills its host, it can’t do that,” she said.

“By having variant after variant after variant of Omicron, we’re seeing now this pan out where this virus is behaving like other viruses, like influenza, that try to get around our immunity and become more transmissible but less deadly.”

GCPS’ decision coincides with Gwinnett County government taking the same step regarding masks. County employees were required to wear masks or other face coverings starting this week, but masks are optional for visitors to county government-owned buildings.

“From an operational standpoint, every positive case results in at least one staff member being quarantined,” Taylor said. “That number is increased if, and when, contacts become symptomatic, and if we have a repeat of last year, if you think back to the sub and staffing challenges that we faced, every staff member who is out will create further strain on an already strained system.”

The Daily Post has requested a copy of the email that the district sent out to employees announcing the requirement.

Despite the argument that a mask mandate for employees will help reduce the impact of a staffing shortage because of COVID cases, teachers who addressed the school board on Thursday night did not dispute whether masks are effective at preventing transmission or not.

They said masks interfered with instruction.

“I cannot do masks for the start of another school year,” said Holly Walden, who has been a teacher for more than 20 years. “I know I am not the only teacher that feels this way. Regardless of how anybody feels about masking, you cannot dispute that masks interfere with the ability to connect and communicate with students.”

District officials are not committing to a specific length for the mask mandate. They are dropping a requirement that the county post two weeks of favorable COVID numbers before a mandate is lifted. That means the mandate could end as soon as the county drops out of the “High” transmission category, whenever that is.

The school board also approved the appointments of Emory Healthcare System Vice-President for Employee Relations Cathy Hardin to be GCPS’ new Chief Human Resources Officer; Fulton County Government Chief Information Officer Glenn Melendez to be GCPS’ new chief technology and innovation officer; and Henry County Schools Assistant Superintendent of District and School Performance Natalie Gore to be GCPS’ new chief strategy officer.

Savage is replacing a principal who had been at Brookwood for nearly a decade. Ford was appointed to the position in 2013, and left this summer to move home to Tennessee.

Savage has been with GCPS for 17 years, including the last three at Crews Middle School as its principal.

Savage was a teacher at Collins Hill High School from 2005 until 2013, and then served as assistant principal at Riverside Elementary School for three years before serving as assistant principal at Creekland Middle School for another three years. He became Crews Middle School’s principal in 2019.

Savage earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental health science and his master’s degree in science education from the University of Georgia, as well as his specialist’s degree in educational leadership and supervision from Lincoln Memorial University and his doctoral degree in educational policy studies from Georgia State University.

Meanwhile, Hardin has worked in human resources for 20 years, most of it with Emory Healthcare in various positions. She become the healthcare system’s vice-president for employee relations last year. She has also worked for Northeast Georgia Health System and DeKalb Regional Health System.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Southern University and her master’s degree in human resources from Central Michigan University.

Melendez has worked in IT and consulting positions for 28 years. He has been Fulton County government’s chief information officer since 2015. He has worked for Atlanta Public Schools, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kennesaw State University, Ernst and Young, United Health Care, Anthem and Ajilon Consulting LLC in the past.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in communication and information from Rutgers University and his master’s degree in corporate communication from Seton Hall University.

And, Gore is coming to GCPS after a 16-year career in Henry County Schools, which was preceded by a career in Bloomington, Ind. She has been Henry County Schools’ assistant superintendent of district and school Performance since 2018.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in english and secondary education from the University of Iowa, a master’s degree in educational leadership from National Louis University, and a master’s degree in literacy and a specialist’s degree in english education from Indiana University.

Hollingsworth was holding a firearm when officers arrived, according to the GBI. Hollingsworth’s roommate, whose name has not been released by law enforcement, told police that Hollingsworth had already fired the gun and was preventing him from leaving.

“Upon the arrival of officers, the victim was able to leave, and the suspect retreated into the residence with the firearm,” Winderweedle said. “Officers on scene obtained warrants for aggravated assault and criminal damage and determined an elderly female was still inside the residence. Supervisors on scene determined SWAT was needed around 2 a.m.”

Officers spent more than five hours trying to negotiate with the Hollingsworth, who allegedly pointed firearms at the SWAT unit’s Bearcat several times during the standoff. Winderweedle said the suspect also allegedly made “numerous statements” that he was going to shoot the officers who were at the scene.

“Just before 7:15 a.m. the suspect came to the back door and pointed a firearm at SWAT officers in the backyard,” Winderweedle said. “Two SWAT officers fired at the suspect at that time. The suspect was deceased at the scene.”

The GBI said no Gwinnett police officers were injured in the incident. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office is handling the autopsy while state investigators look into the officer-involved shooting.

This is the 69th officer-involved shooting in Georgia this year that the GBI has been asked to investigate.

“The GBI will conduct an independent investigation,” GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said. “Once complete, the case will be given to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office for review.”

“This incident was investigated by the Investigative Services Unit and the Jail Intelligence Unit,” Senior Deputy Carlton Releford said. “The decision to charge Sutton was done in cooperation with the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.

“The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office is committed to transparency in building the public’s trust in our agency.”

The Sheriff’s Office did not release full details of the allegations against Sutton because there are ongoing criminal and administrative investigations into the matter. The charges show Sutton is accused of distributing ecstasy, methamphetamine and more than an ounce of marijuana in the jail, however.

Although there are ongoing investigations into the matter, the Sheriff’s Office said it will provide updates in the case as they become available.

In the meantime, the Sheriff’s Office is highlighting steps it has been taking over the last year-and-a-half to make sure the jail is secure.

“In 2021, Sheriff Keybo Taylor implemented additional measures and safeguards for our jail facility, including the use of K-9s, adjustments to policies and procedures and more frequent unit inspections,” Releford said. “In 2022, we purchased two K-9s for the Jail Division which will provide an added level of security to counter any attempts to smuggle illicit drugs into the jail.”

Sutton is currently being held in the jail without bond.

“The victim had a single gunshot wound to the chest,” Thompson said. “The investigation is ongoing, and the Suwanee Police ask for any eyewitnesses that might have observed anything to contact Detective Dawn Zaenglein.”

The victim in this incident is one of three teens who were shot and killed in Gwinnett County this week. County police said two teens were shot and killed early Thursday morning in the Snellville area.

Anyone who has information about Tuesday’s shooting in Suwanee can contact Zaenglein by calling either 470-360-0689 or 770-904-7627.

The first recommendation Valle had was for people to call 911.

“Accidental overdosing caused by recreational, illegal, or illicit drugs is a life-threatening emergency,” Valle said. “The state of Georgia’s 911 Medical Amnesty and Expanded Naloxone Access Law protects the victim and caller when requesting medical emergency services at the scene of a suspected drug overdose from being arrested, charged, or prosecuted. If you or anyone you know is experiencing an overdose, call 911 immediately.

“The Gwinnett County Police Department continues to investigate and apprehend those individuals responsible for the sale and possession of illegal drugs.”

Valle said a person who is experiencing an overdose could display any of a wide array of symptoms, but she added those symptoms could differ from one person to the next.

One option people have, after calling 911, while they wait for first responders to arrive is to administer Naloxone HCI, which is commonly known as NARCAN. It is a nasal spray that includes an opioid antagonist that has gained it a reputation for being able to largely reverse the affects of an overdose and reduce the chance that a person will die.

NARCAN works to counter the effects of heroin, fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, methadone, hydrocodone, OxyContin, “roxys,” dilaudid, morphine and codeine in particular, according to Valle. She warned it will not work to counter the effects of overdoses on methamphetamines; cocaine; benzodiazepines such as Xanax, Valium or Klonopin; bath salts; or alcohol poisoning.

“However, most people overdose on a combination of drugs, so when in doubt about what someone has overdosed on, give naloxone,” Valle said. “Naloxone does not affect a person who has not taken opioids.”

Valle said officials from GNR Public Health and other agencies are working on ways to make NARCAN more accessible to the public. Navigate Recovery, which is located at 52 Gwinnett Drive Suite A in Lawrenceville, offers free training that is sponsored by GNR Public Health and Georgia Overdose Prevention. People who complete the training will be given a free NARCAN nasal spray kit.

Anyone interested in undergoing the training, or who have additional questions about NARCAN, can call 678-743-1808 ext. 115, send an email to events@navigaterecovery.org or visit www.gnrhealth.com/opioids.

“It is recommended that individuals keep the antidote on hand if they have been prescribed opioids or know someone who may be struggling with opioid misuse,” Valle said.

“Detectives have been working through the night and the investigation is ongoing,” Sgt. J.R. Richter said.

Richter said the motive is still under investigation and no suspect information is available.

Police were called the scene on Lake Dr. near Norris Lake around 12:30 Thursday morning, Richter said.

“Officers arrived on scene and located two males deceased from gunshot wounds,” Richter said.

No other details are available at this time.

Police are asking anyone with information to share in this case to contact GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.

Case Number: 220059103

The attempted carjacking happened on July 10 at a QuikTrip located at 5255 Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree Corners.

Police said Coleman was attempting to put air in his tire on the passenger side of his vehicle when a car carrying three suspects backed into a parking space next to him.

According to police, two of the suspects got out of the car and started a fight, while the other suspect jumped into the driver’s side in an attempt to steal the vehicle.

Coleman was shot as he tried to stop the suspect from taking his vehicle and died at the scene. The suspect fled the scene on foot, police said.

Coleman graduated from Norcross High School and then went on to play football at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., from 2011 until 2015.

Coleman’s family and friends gathered Sunday at Lillian Webb Park in Norcross to celebrate his life.

Gwinnett police said detectives from Gwinnett Homicide worked with the Gwinnett Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit to locate and arrest Booker.