Investigative Reports
Augusta, GA – T.W. Josey High School isn’t trapped in one bad moment.
It’s caught in a cycle.
In 2022, a student was shot inside the cafeteria during lunch. The campus went into lockdown. Parents were directed to the football stadium to reunite with their children. The injured student survived, but the shock didn’t fade when the patrol cars pulled away.
The incident was later cataloged in national records of on-campus shootings. It became part of Josey’s public history — documented, not disputed.
Now it’s 2026.
Multiple fights erupt during class transitions. Police presence increases. Hallway movement is restricted. District officials attribute the violence to an off-campus dispute that spilled onto campus.
For families, it feels familiar.
Instability, once repeated, stops feeling isolated.
And then there is the leadership issue.
Earlier this year, Josey’s principal faced a misdemeanor battery charge involving a school employee. The case remains a legal matter, and it is separate from student violence. But in a school environment already under strain, perception matters.
When the top administrator makes headlines for alleged misconduct, it raises questions about tone and authority inside the building.
Whether fair or not, that perception trickles.
Students see it.
Parents see it.
Staff feel it.
School culture is shaped by expectations. If leadership appears entangled in conflict while students navigate fights and visible police presence, the atmosphere can begin to feel unstable — even lawless.
Not because policies don’t exist.
But because enforcement appears reactive rather than preventative.
All of this unfolds as the Richmond County School Board debates Josey’s future. Hearings on restructuring have been scheduled and rescheduled. Officials speak about modernization. Community members speak about legacy.
But students are not living inside a proposal. They are living inside the building.
The question isn’t whether a single school can experience isolated incidents. Many do.
The question is whether enough changed after 2022 to prevent repetition.
After the shooting, parents called for stronger security measures. In 2026, officers were again added “out of caution.” That language suggests response, not long-term resolution.
If structural reforms were implemented, they have not been clearly presented to the public. If intervention programs were expanded, families have not seen measurable outcomes.
When violence resurfaces years apart — and administrative controversy surfaces in between — it creates the impression of a campus struggling with authority from the top down.
That perception may not tell the entire story.
But it is the story many families believe they are living.
This is not about blaming students. It is not about dismissing Josey’s history. It is about whether stability is being built — or merely discussed.
A school can survive one crisis.
But when a shooting, recurring altercations, administrative controversy, and restructuring debates all occur within a four-year window, the pattern begins to feel systemic.
If the Richmond County School Board intends to reshape Josey’s future, it must first address the culture that formed under its governance.
Students deserve order.
Parents deserve transparency.
And stability has to start at the top.
