Roswell families with kids in Fulton County Schools have one immediate to-do as the new school year gets underway: log into Infinite Campus and verify that emergency contacts, phone numbers and authorized pickup individuals are current.
That's the top takeaway from a new podcast episode released Thursday, Aug. 13, in which district leaders Dr. Ava Williams and Dr. Kibby Crumbley walked through how the 85,000-student system handles emergencies ranging from power outages to medical crises to safety threats.
The episode on crisis communications is the first installment of Season 2 of the district's "Let's Talk Schools" podcast. Williams and Crumbley described real-world scenarios they've encountered and explained the notification chain families should expect when something goes wrong at school.
Roswell connection
Crumbley leads Zone 7, the administrative zone covering schools in the Alpharetta and Milton area that includes Roswell-area high schools. The zone serves 16,558 students across 16 schools and posted a 97.1% graduation rate in the most recent data available.
The stakes are simple.
"In an emergency, having accurate contact information helps school staff reach families as quickly as possible," the district states in its back-to-school guidance.
The Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency echoed that message on Aug. 3, the first day of school, urging families to review emergency contacts and plans.
District safety infrastructure
Fulton County Schools' police department, which earned state certification from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police in August, has 88 sworn officers covering all 101 district schools and school zones.
Williams and Crumbley framed the district's approach around four principles: trust, transparency, preparation and teamwork. They stressed that clear, two-way communication between schools and families is what makes emergency response effective.
The full episode is available on the Fulton County Schools news site. Families who haven't updated their Infinite Campus profiles can do so before the next school emergency puts the system to the test.
