Threats to schools should not be tolerated
In the aftermath of a horrific school shooting in Winder, several students were charged with making terroristic threats against schools. This deeply personal situation calls us to question the security of our educational institutions. Our children deserve schools that are oriented toward intellectual growth and committed to their overall safety.
In Georgia, in the year 2019 alone, there were 447 reported bomb threats or terroristic threats in schools, according to the Georgia Department of Education. This poses an unacceptable risk to other students, harms the learning environment and creates fear within our community. We rally to ban any child found guilty of making terroristic threats against a school from attending any public school or university in Georgia. It is time to send a strong message: threats against the safety of students and staff will not be tolerated.
We implore our government to act on this issue, paving the way for a secure and terror-free education environment for our children.
BRENDON BARTH, LOGANVILLE
No good reason not to vote
The Sept. 8 AJC article “Many factors prod voter turnout” did a good job of pointing out the many symptoms and demographics of our voter turnout problem. But it didn’t discuss the root problem of this apathy, which is pure and simple laziness. Both physical and mental laziness.
With all the various ways we now have to vote, there is simply no legitimate excuse for not voting. Here in the United States we have forgotten that billions of people around the world don’t have this special privilege. I served as a precinct manager for eight years and saw the same people come in — regardless of the weather — year after year: on crutches missing a leg, in a wheelchair, suffering from Parkinson’s and barely able to walk and finally needing a walker.
I served in the Army overseas for 35 uninterrupted months and my wife and I never missed a single voting opportunity — not once. Take personal responsibility and go vote.
TERRY DEMPSEY, GRAYSON
