As we approach the start of another school year next Friday, we are happy to see that the Decatur County Schools are taking the safety of our children so seriously.

New secure entrances have been installed at Elcan-King Elementary and John Johnson Elementary schools, and new chain link fences have been installed at the new Jones-Wheat Elementary School location on Dothan Road.

In the summer of 2012, superintendent Dr. Fred Rayfield and officials from each school worked together to create a comprehensive safety plan for each school. This plan spells out exactly who is responsible for each job in the case of an emergency or other serious situation.

School resource officers at Bainbridge High School, Bainbridge Middle School and Hutto Middle School, add even more security.

Certainly, we hope that Decatur County’s schools never have to use their safety plans. But if we are ever faced with a worst-case scenario, it’s comforting to know that our system has made security such a high priority.