A presentation detailing the Operations Department for Rome City Schools, as well as a video highlighting the Kickoff Classic event, were some highlights from Tuesday evening's Rome City Schools Board of Education Meeting at the College and Career Academy at Rome High School.
John Fricks, Director of Instructional Technology, Safety, and Operations for Rome City Schools, gave a presentation showcasing the Maintenance, Nutrition, Transportation, Communications, and Safety Departments.
Among the highlights Fricks spoke about is the successful rollout of the Opengate weapons detection systems at all elementary schools, as well as the Zonar Z-Pass system for all school bus riders in the district. He noted the efficiency of both the Technology and Maintenance Departments, with both being able to handle requests in a timely manner and resolve issues quickly. Both departments have reduced the amount of time it takes to respond to tickets.
His presentation also noted that the Nutrition Department served 503,212 breakfasts during the school year 2024-2025 and 798,971 lunches. The Transportation Department was responsible for transporting 3,458 students to and from school each day.
The communications department put out more than 14,000 photos and 50 videos and made more than 950 posts to social media during the school year 2024-2025, with those posts receiving more than 7.5 million views.
“The Operations Team puts everything together for the goal of helping our students. We want to be able to make all Rome City Schools students get to walk across the stage at graduation, and that those graduates will be ready for college or work,” Fricks said.
One of the newest videos was highlighted during the meeting as it showed moments from the recent Kickoff Classic celebration that started the school year for the district.
Superintendent DR. Eric L. Holland went over several items, including MAP testing and DIBELS testing starting soon. He also noted that the Superintendent Student Advisory Council Leadership in Action with the University of Georgia begins this week.
He highlighted several classes coming up at the Parents Resource Center and also told the crowd that the Corky Kell Classic is set for Friday at Barron Stadium. Rome will play Creekside at 8 p.m., and tickets for the contest are cheaper if they are purchased online by Thursday afternoon.