DALTON, Ga. — A group calling themselves “Southern moms (and dads) who are fed up” with school violence are calling on local leaders to place metal detectors in the public school system where a school teacher discharged a weapon in north Georgia last week. 

At the Whitfield County (Georgia) Board of Education meeting Monday, a representative of the Facebook group Love Letters 2 Protect Our Children approached the board after sending letters to board members, area state representatives, Gov. Nathan Deal and U.S. Rep. Tom Graves calling for leaders to push funding for their proposal.

The group also wants the school system to explore grants, donations and fundraisers to help pay for the metal detectors and costs associated with running them.

Kay Motto of Dalton said she doesn’t have any children in the system, but most of her family has or has had students in the system. She spoke before the board with three other members in attendance. The Facebook group is made up of members mostly from northwest Georgia and southeast Tennessee and had 82 members as of Tuesday night.

“I’m just here to represent a group of concerned citizens because we are very, very distraught about school violence as I am sure you are all, too,” Motto said during the meeting. “We are committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure the safety of our children, including but not limited to fundraising. We also want to let you know we are willing to do any kind of work or whatever it takes to help you make this happen.”

According to its Facebook page, the group formed Feb. 26 — two days before a teacher at Dalton High School forced the evacuation of students and staff after shooting out a window at the school and less than two weeks after 17 people were killed in a Florida school shooting.

Motto said the group began with the letter-writing campaign and is willing to work with leaders to get funding for the increased security measures.

“Our mission is to work alongside the board of education in this area to help fund and secure metal detectors or other items valuable to the safety of our children,” the letter sent to board members said. “We have researched and are aware of the issues and extra expenses of having a metal detector. But there are many schools that have had them for years and this works seemingly flawless.”

Motto said during the meeting the group isn’t making any demands, but wants to work with the board and the system’s staff to reach its goal.

“One of our main focuses and one of our goals is to get the metal detectors in the school,” Motto said. “We have done a lot of research on the issues that go along with putting metal detectors in, but there is a lot we don’t know. We can’t just jump in there and say do this, but we want you to know that we are available, that is where we stand and we are here to help.”

Motto’s statement during the public comments part of the meeting comes at a time when security at schools is on everyone’s mind. Mike Ewton, the system’s Assistant Superintendent for Operations who is charge of overall security for the county’s schools, was already on the agenda to deliver a presentation on school safety and security measures.

Ewton, who has a military and law enforcement background after serving in the U.S. Army and being previously employed by the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, noted that every school has electronic access control systems with security entrances and surveillance camera systems in all schools and all 173 school buses.

The system also goes through preparedness and readiness training as well as set drills designed to control as many variables as possible, Ewton said.

After the meeting, members of the group met individually with board members and school system staff, and Ewton promised a meeting with the group to discuss ideas and possibilities.

“We are very concerned, and everything is an option to take action as much as we can,” Board Chairman Bill Worley said.

Assistant Superintendent Karey Williams said after the meeting she looks forward to seeing where the conversation will lead, even if it doesn’t end with metal detectors in the schools. In addition to the costs of the buying the metal detectors, each one would have to be manned by a specific number of trained personnel. At the Whitfield County Courthouse, the metal detectors at the entrance to the building are typically manned by two sheriff’s deputies.

“I was very pleased to see them come before the board and show their concern for school safety as the safety of our students is always our top priority,” Williams said. “They are approaching this in a very positive way and we will continue to talk and we will see what it will evolve in to. As long as you have people willing to come together and work on a problem, you are going to come up with good solutions.”