On Tuesday, July 15, the Macon-Bibb County Commission approved allocating money from school zone cameras towards school safety.

One of the two items’ Commissioners voted on and approved was spending $345,000 on funding a truancy officer for the Bibb County School District (BCSD) for a three-year period. A truancy officer, or an attendance officer, is responsible for ensuring students attend school regularly and addresses the issues of unexcused absences. They will investigate the reasons behind a student’s absence and work with families to find solutions.

“This is something I think we certainly need in our community. If we can’t get kids in their seats, we can’t get them educated. If we can’t get them educated, then we can’t have an educated workforce,” said Mayor Lester Miller. “This can also lead to unfortunate events and patterns if our kids are not in school.”

“We continue to appreciate the Mayor and our government for supporting our District,” said Bibb County School Superintendent Dr. Dan Sims. “For them to align with one of our priorities is truly commendable and will help us improve outcomes for our community.”

The other item passed included allocating $109,138.58 to Windsor Academy to purchase and install security camera systems. Windsor Academy is an accredited private school serving hundreds of students in Macon-Bibb County, and Windsor has requested funds for this safety measure.

Revenue has been collected from people speeding more than 10mph over the speed limit near schools since 2022.  Since then, Macon-Bibb County has spent or allocated to a variety of public safety projects, including:

• Public safety employee salary increases;

• School Resource Officer & Crossing Guard salaries;

• School security cameras and systems;

• Crosswalk installation and improvements;

• Flock, Verkada, and Adapt to Solve Cameras to help the Sheriff’s Office solve crimes;

• Knox boxes to allow deputies and firefighters access to schools in an emergency;

• School zone flashing lights as additional warning system;

• Public safety vehicles; and

• Other equipment.