WINDER, GA — Students and teachers will be in class today at Apalachee High School as the Barrow County community observes the one-year anniversary of a shooting that left two students and two teachers dead, and nine others injured.

The somber milestone comes as Georgia enacts sweeping changes to school safety laws. In the wake of the tragedy, state lawmakers approved House Bill 268, legislation sponsored by Winder State Representative Holt Persinger. The measure requires increased communication between school systems and state agencies and mandates law enforcement-linked panic buttons in every Georgia classroom by July of next year. Similar devices at Apalachee are credited with saving lives.

“HB-268 was a very comprehensive first step towards covering a lot of the issues or gaps we saw in some information or communication between school systems, other state agencies,” Persinger said.

He added that the effort is ongoing. “It’s not like a once-in-time fix; school safety is going to be changing or being reevaluated, so just being open to the understanding that we’ll be continually looking at this every session from here on out.”

Parents and community members gathered to hear from lawmakers and families, with additional events planned throughout the day. A candlelight vigil will be held at 7 p.m. at the school’s flagpole to honor the victims.

For many, the anniversary is both a time of grief and a call to move forward. Parent Tara Shipman told the Barrow County School Board that students are looking to adults for courage and leadership.

“The truth is, life after trauma is not about returning to who we were before, it’s about growing into who we can become now,” she said. “Our children will not inherit fear, our children will inherit courage.”

Still, Shipman cautioned against letting outside voices reopen wounds in the community. “What our children do not need is the noise of blame and division,” she said. “What they do need is parents, teachers and others to rise above fear and help protect their space for healing.”

The district has already increased security with weapons detection systems and more school resource officers. Meanwhile, Persinger says counseling and support services remain crucial for recovery. “Everybody’s going to need counseling services, some more than others and in different ways,” he said. “That’ll continue to happen, and it’ll probably be a lifelong process.”

Authorities say the suspected shooter, then 15-year-old Colt Gray, and his father, Colin Gray, remain in custody awaiting trial.

One year after shots rang out inside Apalachee High, the memory of those lost weighs heavily on the community. But for parents like Shipman, the message to students is clear; the tragedy will not define them.

The City of Winder has honored the four victims with banners. The two teachers who were killed, Aspinwall and Irimie, were also added to the National Memorial to Fallen Educators in June.

WSB Radio’s Jennifer Perry and Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.