Gwinnett County Schools clear backpack trial run ending Friday
Selected schools across the state's largest school district have been requiring students to use clear backpacks for the last several weeks.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The program ran in middle schools and high schools throughout January. It started mid-January in elementary schools and concludes on Friday.
Every student required to use the clear backpack was given one by the district.
TRENDING STORIES:
Little Caesar's manager defends sign saying suspicious people will be reported to ICE
Norwegian company abandons plans for $2.5 billion battery plant, 700 jobs in metro Atlanta
'It's very scary:' Serial burglar wanted for sexually assaulting homeowner
When the district began discussing implementing a clear bag policy in September, they sent a survey out to parents dated Sept. 30. However, records obtained by Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson showed that the district spent $1.3 million on clear backpacks on Sept. 24 and 25, before the survey even went out to parents.
The results of that survey showed that parents were divided. According to the results, 49% support it but 51% oppose it.
Discussions surrounding clear backpack policies in several school districts began after four people were killed and nine more were shot inside Apalachee High School in Barrow County in early September.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith says the accused shooter, 14-year-old Colt Gray, was able to sneak a gun into the school using his backpack.
It's unclear how district officials plan to measure the success of the pilot program or if the clear backpack policy will be reinstated.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Former deputy sentenced to 16 months in prison for 2022 beating of inmate in Camden County Jail
A former Camden County Sheriff's Office deputy sheriff and jail corporal has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for assaulting a pretrial detainee in 2022. Ryan Robert Biegel, now 27, of Kingsland, Georgia, pleaded guilty on Jan. 28 to using unreasonable force against the detainee, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Action News Jax first told you in November 2022 about the release of a video showing the September 2022 beating of Jarrett Hobbs from Greensboro, North Carolina, in the Camden County Jail. The DOJ said the incident occurred on September 3, 2022, when Biegel and two other correctional officers entered the holding cell where Hobbs was detained. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] We also told you in November 2022 when Biegel, Mason Garrick, and Braxton Massey were charged with battery of an inmate and violating the oath of office. In May 2023, the three men were indicted by a grand jury in Camden County. The DOJ said Biegel admitted to punching Hobbs five times in the back of the head, acknowledging that it was not reasonable or necessary for a legitimate law enforcement purpose. Biegel further struck Hobbs in the head and body an additional twenty-two times with his fists and knees, the DOJ said. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] The FBI Brunswick Resident Agency Field Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigated the assault. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer J. Kirkland for the Southern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Civil Rights Division's Criminal Section prosecuted the case. Action News Jax has reached out to the Camden County Sheriff's Office and Hobbs' attorney Harry Daniels for comment on the sentencing. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Rapper GloRilla arrested on drug charges after burglary at Georgia home
Rapper GloRilla has been arrested in Georgia after cops found a 'significant amount' of drugs while investigating a burglary at her metro Atlanta home. Authorities were called to the rapper's house at around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday to investigate a break-in, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office confirmed to local ABC affiliate WSB-TV. The 'Let Her Cook' artist, who's legal name is Gloria Woods, was away in Indianapolis for the WNBA All-Star Game at the time of the incident, but a family member inside her home fired a gun at the burglars, causing them to run away, according to police. During the investigation, cops smelled a 'strong odor consistent with illegal narcotics' in a closet inside the home's primary bedroom. A drug task force was called in, after which 'a significant amount of marijuana was discovered in plain view,' according to the sheriff's office. After voluntarily turning herself in to the Forsyth County Jail on Tuesday, the 25-year-old rapper was charged with felony possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance. She was released the same day on $22,260 bond. Attorneys for GloRilla have slammed local law enforcement following the incident, calling their client 'a victim, not a suspect.' 'The arrest of Gloria Woods is a disturbing window into how warped law enforcement priorities have become,' her lawyers said in a statement to TMZ. 'Instead of investigating the violent home invasion and theft at Ms. Woods' home, they instead sought a search warrant when they spotted what they believed was a small amount of marijuana. Law enforcement then sought arrest warrants for her even though she hadn't been at her home for some time.' As noted by her lawyers, no arrest warrants have been issued for the burglars, who made off with some 'high-value jewelry.' 'This is our tax dollars at work, absolutely unbelievable,' her attorneys said. Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman called the rapper 'a victim of a serious crime' and said his office is committed bringing the thieves to justice, but noted they must still 'continue to uphold and enforce the law in all aspects of this case.' Following the incident, GloRilla went on to perform at halftime of the WNBA's All-Star Game, singing a medley of her songs 'Let Her Cook,' 'Typa' and 'TGIF.' -----------
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
A former security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Norway is accused of spying for Russia and Iran
OSLO — A former security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Norway has been indicted by prosecutors there on suspicion of espionage after he allegedly spied for Russia and Iran, state broadcaster NRK said Wednesday. The Norwegian man, whose name has not been made public, was arrested last November on suspicion of having damaged national security. He is accused of handing over details about the embassy's diplomats, its floor plans and security routines, among other things, NRK reported. His defense attorney, Inger Zadig, said her client acknowledges the indictment's facts but denies any criminal guilt. 'At its core, this case concerns legal interpretation — specifically, whether, and to what extent, the information in question was 'classified' under the law, and whether it was capable of harming fundamental national interests,' she wrote in an email to the Associated Press. 'If not, then sharing the information is not a criminal offense. Our client did not hold a security clearance, and his access to information that could threaten vital national interests was more or less non-existent. These issues will be thoroughly addressed in court.' The broadcaster reported that America's ties to Israel and the war in Gaza prompted the man to contact Russia and Iran. The defendant faces up to 21 years in prison, NRK reported. The U.S. Embassy and the prosecutor's office did not respond to AP's requests for comment. At the time of his arrest, the man had been studying for a bachelor's degree in security and preparedness at Norway's Arctic University, UiT. It is a second such case at UiT in recent years, according to NRK. One of the people the West swapped with Russia in a major prisoner exchange last year was a UiT guest researcher who claimed to be a Brazilian named José Assis Giammaria, arrested on espionage allegations in 2022. The police revealed him to be Russian, Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin. Norway has a 123-mile long border with Russia in the Arctic. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Norway has heavily restricted entry for Russian nationals. Last year, the Norwegian government said it was considering a plan to build a fence along all or part of its border with Russia.
