Most Barrow County students returning to class for first time since Apalachee High shooting

Students and parents walk off campus at Apalachee High School, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder, Georgia. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Many students in Georgia’s Barrow County are headed back to class Tuesday, six days after a shooting killed two teachers and two students at the school district’s Apalachee High School northeast of Atlanta.

While no return date has been set for the 1,900 students at that high school, the 13,000 students in Barrow County’s other schools will return, including at the middle school and elementary school that border the Apalachee campus in Winder.

Superintendent Dallas LeDuff, in a video message Sunday, said sheriff’s deputies and state troopers will provide extra security when schools reopen Tuesday, with counseling available at all campuses. He said that if students or employees aren’t ready to return, they should contact their school’s principal for aid.