Two days after a gunman took the lives of four people in a Georgia high school, Cullman City Schools announced personnel shifts to further the district’s focus on school and student safety.

In a press release sent to The Times Friday, Sept. 6, CCS announced Cullman High School assistant principal Mark Stephens had transitioned into the newly created role of districtwide Coordinator of Student Affairs. Stephens’ new responsibilities will focus on school safety, transportation and districtwide athletics.

Stephens had already been working to build relationships with local first responders through collaborations with the city of Cullman’s Director of Public Safety Brian Bradberry before the beginning of the school year.

“I can’t express enough gratitude to the city of Cullman. Director Bradberry’s office has been wide open and they have worked to meet our needs,” Stephens said in the release. “We wanted to go above and beyond checking compliance boxes, and we truly want to put every resource available to ensure that our students feel safe at school.”

Four people were killed — two 14-year-old students and two teachers — and nine more were injured Wednesday, Sept. 4, during a shooting at Apalachee High School in Widner, Georgia. According to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University, it was the 30th mass killing in the U.S. so far this year.

Authorities have charged 14-year-old Colt Gray with four counts of murder but have not provided any motive behind the killings. According to arrest warrants he used a “black semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle.”

Colt Gray is to be tried as an adult and a judge said he could face a maximum penalty of life without the possibility of parole during a preliminary hearing on Friday.

The judge originally said Gray could potentially face the death penalty but later corrected his statement due to the fact that he is a juvenile.

Gray’s father, Colin, also faces related charges of involuntary manslaughter and second degree murder which reflect recent attempts from prosecutors looking to hold parents responsible for their children’s actions in school shootings.

“His [Colin Gray] charges are directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon,” Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey told AP.

Both individuals remain in custody after their lawyers decided not to seek bail during the Friday hearings.

Stephens said local efforts have so-far focused on developing an integrated response plan across police, fire and dispatch, with protocols created to ensure all involved parties are aware of their roles in the event of a crisis. He spent two days providing tours of the district’s campuses to first responders to provide a baseline familiarity of the facilities.

Stephens said it was important to receive feedback from those who would be responding in the event of a crisis and learn from their experiences.

“Planning and response is such an important part of school security,” Stephens said. “Staying diligent and working as hard as we can on prevention will always be the best course of action.”