Skip To Main Content
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Back to School 2023: Gwinnett County Public Schools continues focus on safety and communication

School safety and communication with parents continue to be a priority in Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS). "The district's commitment to ensuring our staff and students can teach and learn in a safe, secure, and welcoming environment is something we never lose sight of," says Dr. Al Taylor, GCPS chief of schools. "Last year, we made the commitment to recruit and hire more trained, certified, sworn law enforcement officers who provide on-site support for our students, staff, and community. We accomplished that, going from 92 sworn officers to 113. This year we are launching a new crisis alert system that gives each and every teacher and employee in our schools the ability to call for and get help immediately. We are also rolling out a new accessible and responsive mobile app that will make it easier for students and staff to report security and mental health concerns. The district's balanced combination of proactive and responsive safety measures is working. It allows us to stay focused on our core business of teaching and learning."

What do parents and students need to know about these areas as the 2022-23 school year begins?

  • When the 2023-24 school year begins on August 2, all GCPS schools will be covered by the CrisisAlert system. CrisisAlert is a system that allows users to call for help quickly, discreetly, and securely anywhere on school grounds. All teachers and staff at their respective schools will be issued a CrisisAlert badge which links to the CrisisAlert system. This badge allows the holder to get help anywhere on campus immediately. With three clicks of the CrisisAlert badge, teachers and staff can initiate a Staff Alert, immediately notifying administrators and responders of an emergency. The innovative technology determines the location of the alert, down to the room and floor, so first responders know exactly where they're needed. With just a single notification, an entire school can go into lockdown in an instant.
  • GCPS students, staff, and the surrounding community will soon have a new and more accessible way to report security concerns anonymously. On August 2, 2023, GCPS will begin accepting concerns through GCPS Tips*, its new mobile app, or desktop web browsers at P3Campus.com/5105. Reports made through GCPS Tips, unlike SMS text reports, have no length limitations or the need to remember a short code. Reports are monitored 24/7 to ensure that time-sensitive matters are dealt with promptly. In addition, the mobile app will notify the user when action has been taken on their report, which demonstrates the value of their time and concern. In both the web browser and app form, users can attach photos, screenshots, videos, documents, or audio recordings to their reports, and they can engage in two-way dialogue with a real person; both features facilitate swift interventions. By providing users with a platform to report mental health concerns, this technology addresses the well-being of students and staff, which falls under empathy, a key component of the district's Blueprint of the Future. *Apple users can download GCPS Tips via the "App Store." Android users can find it in "Google Play."
  • Security and mental health concerns can also be shared anonymously via mobile phone by texting: 738477. Users can send photos, screenshots, videos, documents, and/or audio recordings to that number as well.
  • The current "Confidential Tip Line"—770-822-6513—will continue to be an option in the 2023-24 school year to report concerns in GCPS anonymously.
  • At the start of the school year, GCPS will employ 113 School Resource Officers (SROs). These experienced and highly trained police officers are housed in schools— two SROs at every high school, one at every middle school, and several at elementary schools. Officers serve their home school and other school facilities in the cluster. In addition to policing campuses, SROs focus on educating students and staff on safety issues and working with school administrators on school safety plans.
  • GCPS has adopted a new form of school-to-home communication called ParentSquare. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with Gwinnett County Public Schools. Some features include: 
  • Mass notifications and Urgent Alerts with two-way communication 
  • Mobile application for administrators and parents (iOS and Android) 
  • Attendance notifications (district-managed)  
  • Teacher and classroom communication 
  • Direct Messaging with two-way translation 
  • Social (Facebook and Twitter) and website share  
  • StudentSquare (high school students) 
    • Parents were scheduled to receive notice of the transition to ParentSquare on July 14 and an activation email for their ParentSquare account the week of July 17. Those who do not register will still receive text, email, and phone notifications.  
    • Parents who do create an account can interact by viewing photos, downloading attachments, leaving comments, messaging teachers, signing permission slips, and managing their communication settings and preferences. 
    • The Communications and Media Relations team will continue providing tips, reminders, and information about ParentSquare to all families through district newsletters, the district website, and social media.  
    • Gwinnett County Public Schools' visitor management process will be strengthened this year with the installation of security vestibules at schools. Security vestibules give administrators control over who has access to the school's interior. They also serve as a single-entry point for students late to school or returning to school after an appointment. Vestibules provide an essential line of defense, helping administrators keep track of who is coming and going and underscores the importance of a single point of entry - and exit - at the school.
  • The 2023-24 school year will also mark year two of the full implementation of the Raptor system. Raptor enables each school building to screen all adult visitors against the National Sex Offender Registry and establishes a consistent sign-in process across the district.  

What happens when an adult visitor visits a GCPS school?

During school hours, the entrance for visitors is restricted to designated doors near the office, which are locked until the visitor is granted access. To notify school staff of their arrival, visitors push the "bell" button on the visitor management panel found outside the main entrance door. A staff member at the school then uses the audio/visual intercom to see the visitor's face and to request a reason for the visit. Once their purpose is validated, the office staff electronically unlocks the exterior door, allowing the visitor to proceed into the vestibule.

At this point, adult visitors will go through a check-in process, entering their driver's license or a state-issued ID into a scanner. The scanner compares the information on the visitor's ID to a national sex offender database. If a visitor does not have a U.S. government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person's name into the system. The system will check if the visitor's name and date of birth are on a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. 

If a match is found, school administrators will be notified. If the person is cleared, they are issued a detailed visitor badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of their visit. (A visitor's badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools to drop off an item in the office or pick up paperwork.) Once the badge is issued, visitors will be "buzzed" into the school. Badges must be worn and visible at all times.

  • School and district leaders have reviewed each building's Emergency Management Plan, making modifications as needed. Approved by the Gwinnett County Office of Emergency Management, these plans are the guides to help staff and our public safety partners respond swiftly should a crisis occur. Reunification plans ensure that, in the event of an emergency, students can be evacuated to a safe place where they can reunite with their families.