The summer project list is coming together for the Hall County School System, and while most work will be done on area schools, there's also a project planned for Central Office in Gainesville.
Matt Cox, Director of Facilities and Instruction, told school board members this past week the office needs some safety upgrades. He said there needs to be a system in place to keep track of who enters and exits the building.
Superintendent Will Schofield agreed, noting that people who have an issue with a specific school often will show up at Central Office to voice their complaints.
"Eventually, they end up at this building and it's probably one of our poorest facilities in terms of knowing who's coming and going," said Schofield.
While there haven't been any major problems with safety at Central Office to date, Schofield said people come to the office almost daily to vent their concerns.
"We seem to be getting into a time in our culture where people just feel like it's okay to give full vent to their emotions, whether that's at the hardware store or at your local school or at your school district [office]. Those are just the times that we live in and we're just trying to be proactive," said Schofield.
Cox did not discuss specific details of the Central Office project, but he indicated it would be something similar to entry set ups at local schools, where guests would not be able to enter the office unless admitted by a staff member.
Estimated cost for the entry system is $80,000. The money for the project would come from the Hall County School District's general fund.
Schofield said about 70 people work at Central Office on Green Street.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/3/378665/hall-county-school-system-to-increase-safety-for-central-office