Atlanta Public Schools address recent shooting, safety during State of the District

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A student has been charged in connection with last week’s shooting at Benjamin E. Mays High School, according to Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Police.

The update comes just as Atlanta Public Schools gave their State of the District presentation on Monday.

School safety, retaining quality teachers and improving students’ reading skills were all topics discussed during APS State of the District.

“The main thing we want to champion is literacy because we know that is the catalyst for everything,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Danielle Battle.

School leaders and the district’s police chief also took time to give an update on the four students shot at Benjamin E. Mays high school last week.

The school district said the shots came from an “unknown vehicle” at the lower campus parking lot.

“I want to note that the four students that were injured, they are doing well. They are recovering,” said Atlanta Public Schools Police Chief Ronald Applin.

Officials said one person has been charged in connection to last week’s shooting.

Police say the suspect is a student and there’s a warrant out for his arrest.

“Some kids today seem to think the only way to solve problems is by using a gun and that’s just not the way to handle things. It’s total disregard for the life and safety of others,” said Applin.

Applin said after any incident, they always take a hard look at police protocol to see where there’s room for improvement.

“We’re looking at some of the processes that we have and try to make adjustments where we need to help deter things like this from happening in the future,” said Applin.

The school district’s police chief and Atlanta Public Schools interim superintendent echoed the same message on Monday saying it takes a community to keep a community safe.

“It’s not just the police’s job, it is not just the school’s job, it is everyone’s. If you see something, say something and if you see something posted make sure you’re sharing that, talk to your children, talk to your neighbors, talk to people at church wherever you go, talk to young people,” Battle said.

As of Monday, only one person has been charged in connection to last week’s shooting.

Police say the investigation is ongoing.

Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.