MOULTRIE — Responding to the discovery of two students with handguns at Colquitt County High School last week, School Superintendent Leonard McCoy has established an independent committee to review school safety.

Called the Colquitt County Safe Schools Committee, the ad hoc group will deliver a third-party review from those who work regularly with children and in the criminal justice system.

The committee will look at what the school system is already doing, review statistics on discipline and safety and make recommendations for improvements that will enhance both student and staff safety, school atmosphere, agency cooperation and public awareness. The first meeting will be held before the end of June, McCoy said.

“I would think of it as almost a blue ribbon committee to provide another perspective on school safety,” he said.

The number of incidents of student disciplinary actions have dropped consistently over the last four years, but he said it takes only one person’s actions to accelerate into tragedy.

“Those two pistols could have showed up in any high school in Georgia, but they showed up here. It’s time to take a look at what we’re doing. I really hope that coming out of this is a much stronger safe school initiative, a lot of it built around our students and their focus that things will not happen in our schools,” McCoy said.

The Colquitt County Safe Schools Committee at the outset will be made up of Moultrie Police Chief Frank Lang or a designee, Sheriff Al Whittington or a designee, YMCA Director Greg Coop, former director of Colquitt County Department of Family and Children Services Sandra Rogers, a representative of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Parks and Recreation Department, Eric Blunt of the Southwest Probation and Detention Center, Tony Chapman of Archbold Memorial Hospital (which offers counseling through a student assistance program), Juvenile Court Judge Bill McIntosh or a representative of juvenile justice, University of Georgia Archway Program liaison Emily Watson and others as set by the Board of Education.

A liaison of the school system should be designated to work closely with the committee to handle all communications, set meetings and report ultimately to the board, and the superintendent, who brings to the table considerable experience and expertise in school safety and expertise, and designated staff will attend meetings to observe and provide information as needed.

The Safe Schools Committee will make recommendations to the school board, and information will be provided regularly to the public via the news media, McCoy said.