MOULTRIE, Ga. — More than a week after a Moultrie teenager was arrested in connection with a threat of a mass shooting, concerned parents and county residents aired concerns and possible solutions during Monday’s meeting of the Colquitt County Board of Education.

Nate Branch delivered a passionate plea to the school board asking them what is going to be done and saying the incident shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Board Chairman Mary Beth Watson assured him the board takes the safety of students very seriously, but the board did not provide any information about changes to security policies as a result of the arrest.

Another person who spoke, local attorney Jody Weathers, proposed that schools install metal detectors.

“It’s time we get this thing moving,” Weathers said. “I’ve been conducting some research. The best estimates I can come up with to install metal detectors in our schools would be $170,000. We got to think about this, we’re not going to do anything about guns but at least need to do something to protect the kids.

“Every person in this county is required by law for their child to attend school unless they have an authorized home school,” he said, “but if you don’t you will get charged with a crime, so the least we can do is ensure all the protection we can. Will it stop some psycho from parking outside the school? No, but it will at least help. We need to start the conversation.”

Student safety has been a hot topic of debate: The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports there were 94 gun incidents on campuses in America in 2018; 23 of them resulted in injury or death.

The 16-year-old arrested Feb. 13 is accused of making a threat to shoot up an unspecified preschool while playing an online game. The game company contacted Interpol, which traced the Wi-Fi address to Colquitt County High School and notified the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The teen has been charged as a juvenile with terroristic threats and acts, and his name has not been released because of his age.

The Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether the teen had taken any actions to follow through on his threat, and investigators said if he has he could face more serious charges.

The threat came almost exactly one year after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14, 2018. Seventeen students and staff members were killed in that incident, and 17 more were injured.

It is the second school-related threat reported by local law enforcement since the Parkland shooting. A Willie J. Williams Middle School student was charged Feb. 22, 2018, after he allegedly wrote a threat in a textbook. Because he was also a juvenile, the dispensation of his case is not available.