CT shooting prompts heightened security at Atlanta schools

Schools in Atlanta were put on a heightened alert Friday as a result of the mass killing in Connecticut.  FOX 5's Morse Diggs spoke with the chief of school security and with parents as they picked up their kids from Morningside Elementary School.  

Though Friday's tragedy happened hundreds of miles away, school officials say they know it's important for them to tighten security locally. School security chief Marquenta Sands said the district raised their security level to heightened after the mass shooting in Connecticut was reported just to remind their administrators and staff to remain vigilant.  She told FOX 5 the district has emergency management plans in place, and all of their staff has been trained on how to handle emergent situations.  

Parents waiting for their kids outside of Morningside Elementary School on Friday said they would squeeze their students a little tighter when they got them home.  Many parents told FOX 5 their hearts hurt for the families of the children and adults killed in Connecticut.  They say the tragedy has shattered their belief that schools are a safe haven for kids, and they know that something like that could happen in any city—even theirs.