Macon charter school emphasizes safety as students head back to school

ACE prepares for new year with drills, lockdown protocols, and personal panic buttons

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – As students return to class, leaders at the Academy for Classical Education (ACE) in Macon are focusing on school safety.

Chief William G. Ferrell, the campus police chief at ACE, said their goal is to create a strong culture of safety through proactive training and security procedures.

“We created a school safety plan, and the first thing we did was change culture and implement protocols and procedures for active intruder training, for door security,” Ferrell said.

Panic buttons for faster response

As part of those updates, the school is also following a new state law signed by Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this year. House Bill 268 requires personal panic buttons for teachers and staff in public and charter schools. The Georgia Legislature passed the law in response to a deadly school shooting in Winder in 2024.

“They have mandated personal panic buttons for teachers, faculty, and staff, and what it does is it cuts down on response time if there ever is an incident in the school,” Ferrell said.

ACE staff and students also go through extensive intruder drills each year, including a robust reporting system to flag suspicious behavior.

“We reiterate to our students the importance of reporting suspicious behavior,” Ferrell said.

Locked doors and secure access

Principal and Head of School Lara Relyea said simple measures such as locked classroom doors and monitored access points are key.

“We have these access cards that teachers use when they come in through certain doors; teachers keep their classrooms locked,” Relyea said. “I do feel that our school is safe.”

She added that the school trains students not to open doors for others—even if they recognize the person.

School leaders say they review and adjust their safety plans regularly to keep up with new threats and recommendations.