RCS talks diversity and new policies at annual retreat in Atlanta

rcs-talks-diversity-and-new-policies-at-annual-retreat-in-atlanta

Rome City Schools board members went over student programs and policies Tuesday as part of their annual retreat, held at the Waverly Hotel in Atlanta.

Superintendent Lou Byars said dual enrollment numbers in RCS skyrocketed from 118 students in the last school year to 252 in this one. With dual enrollment, students also take some college courses. The credits give them a head start once they graduate high school.

Board members talked about ways to keep expanding opportunities.

“One of our goals is to increase diversity in our gifted programs,” Byars said.

While the number of Hispanic students increased the most for minority enrollment in the gifted programs, the gifted and dual enrollment programs are still overwhelmingly made up of white students. The Rome City Schools district is majority minority, Byars said.

“Our student enrollment needs to reflect that. It has to change,” said RCS school board member Alvin Jackson. “The more we get our students involved, particularly our minority students, the better off we’ll be.”

When asked how students were selected for the gifted programs, Byars said anyone can recommend that a student be tested — including the students themselves.

“I know this because my daughter recommended herself over 20 years ago,” he laughed. “The teacher did not think she was gifted, but she ended up passing.”

Dawn Williams, the assistant school superintendent, said even peers can recommend their own friends be tested for the gifted program.

During the retreat the board’s attorney, Chris Twyman, also presented two proposed written policies — one regarding police interviews of students and the other is regarding visitation.

Twyman said both policies are already in practice, but the school system needed clarification on each.

The first policy regarding interviewing and questioning by law enforcement specifies that parents are to be notified if police want to interview a student. The only exception is in the case of an emergency and Twyman said the determination of what constitutes an emergency is judged on a case by case basis.

“If it’s not an emergency, that interview is not happening if we can’t get in touch with a parent,” Twyman assured the school board.

One of the only times a parent might not be contacted is if there is a case of child abuse where the parent may be the perpetrator, he said. The policy also states that the only people who are allowed to search student lockers and vehicles on campus without a search warrant are school administrators.

In regards to the visitation policy, Twyman said that if a parent wants to visit a school, they simply have to give notice. In the case of a parent who is a registered sex offender, they would only be allowed to visit if their child is directly involved with a school event.

Under no circumstances are registered sex offenders allowed to volunteer for the district, and they will be escorted at all times while inside of the school, he said.

However, if a registered sex offender’s sentence states they are not to be on a school campus, they would not be allowed in any Rome city school — even to visit their child.

“We don’t override the law,” Twyman said.

Source: https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/news/state/rcs-talks-diversity-and-new-policies-at-annual-retreat-in-atlanta/article_b3f9cbd0-5e44-5164-8499-8695aeae4519.html

Operation Good Shepherd: 10 arrested in Hall County child predator sting

operation-good-shepherd:-10-arrested-in-hall-county-child-predator-sting

The operation began back in October.

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Ten people were arrested after a months-long Hall County child predator sting, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.

The undercover investigation, known as Operation Good Shepherd, targets online child predators.

The operation began back in October when investigators began communicating with adults online who thought they were speaking with children. Authorities said they talked to the adults through several platforms including social media and text messages.

The adults who were alleged to be communicating with — who they believed to be minors — range in age from 24 to 47 and are residents of Georgia cities from Lilburn to Cleveland.

Officials said some of them offered money to detectives, who they thought were children, to perform sexual acts and others sent obscene pictures and described obscene sexual acts.

Hall County authorities said they began taking people into custody on Thursday, Nov.21 and the arrests happened nearly daily after that. It came to an end after its final arrest Nov. 27, according to authorities.

“I’m very proud of the efforts of our own Criminal Investigations Division in heading up and executing this operation,” Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said.  “I’m confident the hard work of our team and partner agencies in this effort will make the community safer for our children.”

Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce (ICAC), the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and Floyd County Police Department were in collaboration to carry out Operation Good Shepherd.

The operation is complete, but authorities said each case remains under investigation and additional charges may occur.

The 10 arrested are: 

Patrick C. Reese, 32, of Flowery Branch
• Sexual exploitation of children
• Aggravated child molestation, criminal attempt

Alan Alberto Rojas, 24, of Lilburn
• Child molestation, criminal attempt
• Aggravated child molestation, criminal attempt
• Obscene material, furnish electronically to minor
• Enticing a child online
• Human trafficking

Cynthia Lynn Michelle Lloyd, 25, of Gainesville
• Prostitution

Patricia Erica Burt, 37, of Cumming
• Prostitution
• Human trafficking

Michael Ryan Jewell, 35, of Buford
• Sexual exploitation of children

Christopher Alan Hoover, 33, of Jasper
• Enticing a child online x 5
• Sexual exploitation of children
• Pandering by compulsion

Colt David Clemmer, 33, of Talmo
• Sexual exploitation of children

Matthew David Ingram, 34, of Gainesville
• Sexual exploitation of children x 3

William David Gowdy, 40, of Cumming
• Sexual exploitation of children x 3
• Electronic enticement of a minor

Jason Noel Lingerfelt, 47, of Cleveland
• Enticing a child online x 4

Source: https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/10-arrested-in-hall-county-child-predator-sting/85-38d09828-35ac-43da-b0ba-02bcf8c9d1c4

There is no urge to purge voters

there-is-no-urge-to-purge-voters

Georgia currently has more than seven million registered voters, a record number. Minority voter registration and turn-out also hit record highs during the 2018 election cycle and governor’s race. Democratic gubernatorial nominee, former State House Minority Leader, Stacey Abrams received more general election votes than any Democrat for governor in Georgia history. All facts.

We all have a right to our own opinion, life priorities and the conclusions which we draw, but we don’t have the option of simply hypothesizing from different facts.

Minority voter registration not only spiked, but now exceeds its percentage of the state’s population. Voter registration does not always translate into turnout though. In metro Atlanta suburbs, and the centers of several of Georgia’s secondary population centers, though there is no party registration in Georgia, the Democratic Party and its nominees won numerous counties, precincts and local as well as state elected offices during the 2018 election cycle. Again, facts.

Though I look forward to a day when race is not a major driving force in Georgia or national politics, we remain a far cry away from there as yet. With all that stage setting, and my revulsion of conspiracy theories generally clear, I’d like to challenge one more. There is no ongoing orchestrated effort to reduce voter participation, registration or voting by minority or Democratic voters in Georgia.

It is county and municipal election superintendents across Georgia, and their oversight boards of election, who determine precinct boundaries, polling locations and hours of operation as well as oversee the tabulation of absentee, early/advance votes and all ballots cast on election day, after all polls have closed.

Much is being made of the potential removal and purge of more than 330,000 voter names from current voter rolls across our state. Georgia has nearly 10 million residents and more than seven million registered voters. Purging every two years, as required by state and federal law, typically removes the dead, those who have left a particular county, duplicates, non-citizens as well as those who choose, for whatever reason they have to simply not vote for a full four year period, and then not respond for an additional two year period when local election officials attempt to confirm their residency and interest in remaining a registered voter. Ten percent of registered voters would be well in excess of 700,000. Five percent exceeds 350,000. The prospective purge list is public and available for searching, as well as updating online.

Consider your own circle, and how many family and friends you have lost or who have moved from your community within any six year window of time. Voter registration is tied to your legal residence and domicile and is not automatic when you change addresses, however any Georgia voter can now go to the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page and update their registration and address information online and for free. That website, created by then Secretary of State Brian Kemp (now Georgia’s Governor) is second only to the automatic Motor Voter process when you receive or renew a Georgia Driver’s License in adding voters to Georgia voter rolls.

Georgia also set records in 2018 for early voting and absentee voting. Another fun fact is that the absentee ballot application have no space to indicate race or political party preference. The only opportunity to even draw such a conclusion is to select a ballot in a Democratic Primary or run-off, or for the election employee to conduct a manual/electronic cross reference search of their voter registration data base. That action leaves an electronic trail. As some have pointed out a disproportionate number of minority voters are on the proposed purge list, several demographers also acknowledge that minority populations tend to be more transient and more likely to move, changing residences as well as voting jurisdictions.

Yet with this proposed purge list up and available for several weeks now, there is only a trickle of activity, being reported by Georgia’s election superintendents, or coming in via the Georgia SOS My Voter Page via voter address updates. Where are the masses being intentionally removed, disenfranchised or somehow disabled from voting?

I will admit though, I still have my doubts about Jeffrey Epstein committing suicide, and I’m not clear as a convicted sex offender in Florida if he still had voting privileges in New York, but he did complete the requirements of his plea agreement, so he may have had his voting rights restored. I still would expect him to be on the Democratic Secretary of State’s voter registration purge list for the 2020 election cycle. As we all know he was already on Hillary’s list, right?

Bill Crane is a senior communications strategist who began his career in broadcasting and has worked at the state capitol and in Washington in both political parties. Contact him at bill.csicrane@gmail.com.

Source: https://thebrunswicknews.com/opinion/editorial_columns/there-is-no-urge-to-purge-voters/article_acf6bf80-7d39-565b-a487-3b9171b5cd94.html

Two sex offenders tried to access Charlotte schools

two-sex-offenders-tried-to-access-charlotte-schools

Charlotte Mecklenburg School district says technology worked how it’s supposed to.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two separate sex offenders were stopped by entering two Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools within 24 hours of each other this week.

The first happened Tuesday morning at Vance High School. The next morning, a sex offender was caught at University Meadows Elementary School. There have been several other similar cases over the past couple months.

CMS says their technology worked how it’s supposed to by alerting them to sex offenders in the front office, before they had any contact with students. School leaders credited the visitor tracking system, Lobbyguard.

“I do believe that that’s a good thing, if they have to put their names on it, so they can identify who the person is,” one parent said.

In September, a registered sex offender was stopped at Independence High School.  Jail records show 21 year-old Xavier Farmer was already facing a charge of indecent liberties with a child at the time.  Last month, there was another sex offender at Barringer Academic Center.  It was the second time in about a year the elementary school had a sex offender on campus.

“I’d definitely say it’s uncomfortable, definitely uncomfortable,” a parent previously told NBC Charlotte.

CMS says both of the sex offender cases this week involved people coming on campus to pick up or drop off family members.

“Should not even be near a school,” a parent said.

The parent said she is upset because she says CMS never notified her about the incident.

“The school should still notify parents about these situations,” she said.

CMS responded by saying the sex offenders were both stopped in the front office and never had any interaction with students.

CMS did not comment on what punishment, if any, the suspects are facing.

More news from wcnc.com:

Source: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/sex-offender-at-schools/275-768e55a8-0adf-4776-9ecd-4c9752640164

Former youth softball umpire pleads guilty in child sexual exploitation case

former-youth-softball-umpire-pleads-guilty-in-child-sexual-exploitation-case

DACULA, Ga. (CBS46) A former youth softball umpire from Dacula has entered a guilty plea following his arrest on child sexual exploitation charges.

According to the FBI, 50 year-old James Hughes Morriss communicated via computer in hopes of setting up a meeting with who he thought was a 14 year-old girl. 

The girl ended up being an undercover agent.

Morriss also requested photos and traveled to Athens to meet her for sexual purposes. He was arrested on July 27.

The arrest was a result of “Operation End Game” a multi-agency effort targeting sex offenders.

“Operation End Game did exactly what it was tasked to do: Put an end to criminal attempts of predators to irreversibly harm young children,” said Debbie Garner, GBI Special Agent in Charge and Commander of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in a press release. “The GBI and the Georgia ICAC Task Force will work tirelessly with our partners to protect our children against those who seek to harm them.”

Morriss is currently in federal custody and faces a maximum five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and at least three years supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for February 12, 2020.

Copyright 2019 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

Source: https://www.cbs46.com/news/former-youth-softball-umpire-pleads-guilty-in-child-sexual-exploitation-case/article_2d1f90fa-0c7b-11ea-a4b1-2b5a9d39377d.html

Greensboro man arrested on 8 counts of child pornography

greensboro-man-arrested-on-8-counts-of-child-pornography

GREENSBORO, Ga. – A 45-year-old Greensboro businessman is being held withheld without bond after he was arrested several days ago on multiple counts of sexual exploitation of children, local authorities say.

The arrest of the man stems from an investigation that began back in May.

Greene County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Capt Lee Stancill identified the suspect as Brandon Lee Manning, who had been living in the Charity Drive neighborhood of Greensboro.

Manning, who reportedly is affiliated with a swimming pool business, is specifically charged with eight counts of sexual exploitation of children, according to Capt. Stancill, who is the lead investigator.

Capt. Stancill said Manning was taken into custody at his residence Nov. 14 without incident. Manning’s arrest stemmed from an ongoing criminal investigation that has been underway by investigators with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for the past several months.

A search warrant was executed at the residence of the suspect back in May, according to the investigator.

Capt. Stancill said during that time, he and other sheriff’s office investigators seized more than a dozen electronic devices from the residence.

The lead investigator said the seizure of the electronic devices came as the result of a tip that potentially explicit images were being accessed from the residence.

“After conducting examinations of each of these devices, several hundred images of suspected child pornography were found,” Capt. Stancill said.

Capt. Stancill said since the case was pending prosecution, he would not be able to discuss exactly what prompted the investigation.

Manning who previously had been a registered sex offender in Greene County was removed from the list in 2009 after he completed certain requirements, Capt. Stancill said.

Manning appeared before Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Terry N. Massey on Monday morning in Greene County Superior Court and was denied bond in the case. Manning was represented by his defense attorney, Mo Wiltshire during the brief hearing before the judge.

Capt. Stancill said during the course of the investigation that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) had provided certain records, but that all digital forensics had been performed by him in his lab with equipment provided him by U.S. Secret Service.

Capt. Stancill, who also works with the Electronic Crimes Task Force out of the U.S. Secret Service field office in Atlanta explained that the federal agency provides him all the equipment, his training, as well as his training and support for work he does when it comes to computers and mobile devices.

Source: https://www.unionrecorder.com/news/greensboro-man-arrested-on-8-counts-of-child-pornography/article_f74b5f84-0beb-11ea-bc33-47c2ecc58322.html

Deputies find Bartow sex offenders complying with laws requiring they be in registered residences

deputies-find-bartow-sex-offenders-complying-with-laws-requiring-they-be-in-registered-residences

All sex offenders registered in Bartow County were found to be compliant with Georgia sex offender laws requiring verified residences during a recent annual sweep by sheriff’s deputies statewide.

Bartow sheriff’s deputies and officers with the Cherokee Judicial Circuit Department of Community Supervision participated in a statewide sheriffs’ initiative called Operation Watchful Eye IV recently.

The action was part of a statewide effort by Georgia sheriffs to verify registered sex offenders’ residences and check compliance with state laws within each county, said Sgt. Jonathan White of the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office.

A total of 246 sex offenders were registered in Bartow County in late October, including 11 sexually dangerous predators and four homeless offenders, White said.

“Residence verifications and compliance checks were attempted on each of the 246 registered offenders as well as one offender who moved and registered in Bartow County during the week of the operation,” White said.

Deputies successfully verified 208 were in the residences they registered. Offenders not seen were either working or at counseling sessions when deputies came to verify the addresses, White said.

“Contact has since been made with the (offenders) not seen during Operation Watchful Eye IV,” he said.

White added that deputies arrested two offenders for outstanding probation violations.

The sheriffs’ initiative led to the arrests of 40 sex offenders and warrants issued to 147 for violations of state registration laws statewide between Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, a news release stated.

During the seven-day operation, deputies conducted 7,535 residence verifications; issued 18 new warrants for violations of the sex offender registry law, and 13 warrants for new sex offenses; issued 48 warrants for residency violations of the sex offender registry and 28 warrants for other miscellaneous new charges.

Ninety-six new sex offenders moved into the reporting counties, the release stated.

“More importantly, it was discovered that 190 sex offenders had absconded from their last known address, which will require the sheriff to work with other supporting agencies and track these individuals down,” it stated.

The first coordinated effort to verify offenders’ locations across the state was launched In 2015 to conduct residence verifications and compliance checks of registered sex offenders during a specific time period.

Georgia’s sheriffs subsequently made Operation Watchful Eye an annual effort due to the overwhelming success of the original initiative, the release stated

“The Office of Sheriff is mandated by law to register sex offenders and to keep the public informed of where registered sex offenders reside, work and attend school,” a release from the Georgia Sheriff’s Association stated.

“The purpose of this statewide effort is to create awareness that sheriffs’ offices work collectively, network, and actively engage their office by participating in statewide verification checks and other non-compliant matters in order to make our state safer.”

Visit the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office website or http://gbi.georgia.gov/georgia-sex-offender-registry for more information on the whereabouts of registered sex offenders locally and statewide.

Source: https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/west_georgia/news/deputies-find-bartow-sex-offenders-complying-with-laws-requiring-they-be-in-registered-residences/article_e5ea0dd4-0b0b-11ea-8d2b-a3bdda5732ca.html

Visitors at Lowndes Co. Schools required to show ID for sex offender check

visitors-at-lowndes-co.-schools-required-to-show-id-for-sex-offender-check

By Ri’Shawn Bassette | November 18, 2019 at 11:12 PM EST – Updated November 19 at 12:01 AM

LOWNDES CO., Ga. (WALB) – The new Lowndes County School System’s ID system checks all visitors to see if they’re on the national sex offender registry. It’s being implemented all across the county school system, including the Board of Education.

Everyone is required to have their ID checked against the sex-offender registry at all Lowndes County Schools.

Everyone is required to have their ID checked against the sex-offender registry at all Lowndes County Schools. (Source: WALB)

“I’ve never had to show my ID until today,” said Raymond Walker.

Walker is a father od a student at Hahira Middle School. He said that he forgot his ID walking up to the school.

Principal Ivy Smith said he wasn’t the first to do so since they’ve implemented the new system over the last couple of weeks.

Raymond Walker is the father of a student at Hahira Middle School.

Raymond Walker is the father of a student at Hahira Middle School. (Source: WALB)

“It’s just an added safety measure for our students and our staff,” said Smith.

Still getting used to new the process that checks for sex offenders, Walker entered the school and had to run back to his car to get his ID. He said he didn’t mind at all because he’s proud of the school system for taking added steps to ensure everyone’s safety.

“I think it’s a great idea. I really admire the steps they’re taking to keep all of the children safe,” said Walker. “You have so many school shootings, people coming in that’s not even supposed to be there and wreaking havoc on everybody involved. I just think it’s a great idea. Every step they can take to make the school safer, I’m all in for it.”

Similar to how Smith said she’s all in, being that it’s her duty to ensure the safety of the entire campus.

“The world we live in, in this day and age, you cannot be overprotective. Having this added measure certainly makes me feel safe and makes me feel more comfortable overseeing the safety of our students and staff,” said Smith.

Principal Ivy Smith

Principal Ivy Smith (Source: WALB)

Smith said that she thinks the new system is just a testament to student safety being the top priority of the Lowndes County School System.

“I foresee that we will use it for several years. I’m sure as technology expands, there may be a time where we are searching other things other than what it currently is. I think moving forward, we’re on the right path,” said Smith.

Walker said that any school across the nation not using a system like this one needs to get it.

School leaders said that those that don’t have proper ID or that come up flagged, will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Copyright 2019 WALB. All rights reserved.

Source: https://www.walb.com/2019/11/19/lowndes-co-schools-visitors-required-show-id-sex-offender-check/

New LCS Visitor Sign-In Checks for Sex Offenders

new-lcs-visitor-sign-in-checks-for-sex-offenders

Board of Education

LOWNDES CO., Ga. – To ensure the
safety of students and staff, the Lowndes County School system has implemented
a new sign-in system for visitors, according to a Friday, November 15 release.

All visitors to the district’s
schools, Parker Mathis Learning Center, and the Board Office will present a
driver’s license to be scanned before receiving a visitor badge and being
admitted into the building.

This process instantly checks
visitors against a sex offender registry. Visitors without a driver’s license
will be required to present another form of photo ID and will be admitted on a
case-by-case basis.

“We thank you for your cooperation
in this safety initiative,” the Lowndes County School System’s Facebook
statement read.

Source: https://valdostatoday.com/news-2/local/2019/11/new-lcs-visitor-sign-in-checks-for-sex-offenders/