By JOHN THOMPSON
Coweta Editor

Educators, students and law enforcement personnel in Coweta County have a new tool this fall to battle the increasing problem of violence in the schools.

A toll-free statewide hotline has now been established, offering an anonymous way of apprising law enforcement officials about possibly dangerous situations in the schools.

By dialing 1-877-SAY-STOP, the caller will be connected to a Department of Education Safe and Drug Free School specialist who will take down the information and notify the local superintendent and law enforcement agencies.

The hotline hours will be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. After hours, all calls will be routed to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The program was developed by the Statewide School Safety and Violence Task Force earlier this summer. Coweta County school board member Smith Pass co-chaired the task force and believes nothing is more important than providing a safe environment for the state's students.

"If we can save one kid or prevent a violent incident, it's worth it," she said.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation director Buddy Nix believes the time has come for the hotline and believes the anonymity factor will make it a big success.

"Providing safe classrooms is a top priority in Georgia. Often, students have the best knowledge about unsafe situations in their schools, and once the hotline goes into effect, they will have a way to anonymously share that knowledge, without fear of retribution," he said. The hotline is being totally funded by Worldcom, Inc. for the first year. State officials plan to examine the effectiveness of the program at the end of this school year.

Along with the hotline, the task force plans to bring several recommendations about improving safety in the classrooms to the General Assembly this January.

The recommendations include:

Conducting a school safety survey in all 180 school systems.

Developing a statewide school systems report card.

Strengthening and placing more emphasis on a character education curriculum in all grades.

Increasing options and funding for alternative schools.