LEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — As students returned to class Wednesday, Lee County Schools officials say new security technology is in place—and a dedicated safety leader is now focused solely on keeping students and staff protected.

The district kicked off the 2026-27 school year Aug. 5 with panic buttons installed for every staff member, a renewed focus on monitoring student-teacher relationships, and an explanation for why metal detectors remain off the table—for now.

Panic buttons in every school

Every Lee County Schools staff member—from teachers and principals to custodians and paraprofessionals—is wearing a panic button badge.

Kevin Dowling, the district’s newly appointed Executive Director of School Safety and Discipline, said the badge has two alert levels.

Pressing the button three times sends an immediate distress signal to administrators, the front office and the school nurse, along with a triangulated location so responders know exactly where help is needed.

Pressing it eight or more times triggers a full school lockdown, with lights in the building changing color to signal the severity of the emergency.

“If you push this thing, you keep going—It’s going to lock down the school,” Dowling said.

The system was installed in January but Dowling said this will be its first school year in use.

Why Lee County isn’t installing metal detectors

Metal detectors have been discussed at the district level, Dowling confirmed but Lee County Schools has not moved forward with them.

Speaking on the thoughts of the Lee County community, Dowling said:

“There’s a fine line between being safe and making things seem institutional,” he said. “A metal detector can catch more than just a weapon. They can catch keys.”

He said the district has looked at newer models designed to detect only weapons. The option has not been ruled out permanently.

“Not saying that those won’t find their place here sometime,” Dowling said. “We’re not there yet. It’s something we continue to look at—but that could be something that comes.”

In the meantime, the district relies on surveillance cameras across each school campus.

Monitoring student-teacher relationships

The district is also taking steps to prevent inappropriate relationships between staff and students, following a recent indictment of a Lee County teacher on sex crime charges involving a student.

Dowling said the district was transparent about the investigation—but is reinforcing boundary training with staff and leaning on its anonymous reporting system which allows students, parents and community members to flag concerns without identifying themselves.

“The more you counsel, the more you discuss, the more you talk about boundaries with relationships with students—the more you are being proactive,” Dowling said.

Georgia HB 268 requires every school system to implement an anonymous reporting system—which is available on the school system’s website.

“It’s a good way for students, staff, community members, anyone, to report that they’ve heard something or they’ve seen something that was inappropriate,” Dowling said.

WATCH MORE on “What’s Going On”:

Lee County’s new school safety role

Dowling’s position—Executive Director of School Safety and Discipline—is new to the district.

He said the district relies on three resources for communication and transparency with parents and staff: SchoolDog App, the Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) protocol and the anonymous tip resource.

“In recent years, with as many bad things that have happened in schools, that focus has become even more prominent,” he said. “We really need someone for whom that is their primary focus.”

His message to parents as the school year begins:

“Our number one goal is to keep kids safe,” Dowling said. “If a kid doesn’t feel safe, how are they going to concentrate on doing work in class?”

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook, Instagram and X. For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app and add WALB as a preferred source on Google.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.