MACON, Ga. — Soon, weekday football practices will turn into Friday night games.
School districts across Central Georgia are prepping to make sure their players and their fans stay safe.
Northeast High School Athletic Director Kevin Grooms says all Bibb County Schools have "Emergency Action Plans" in place.
"We're making sure that if an emergency occurs, we know who is doing what when it happens," says Grooms.
That way, in the event of a shooting, severe weather, or some other emergency, students and staff know what to do.
Sgt. Richie Kendrick with campus police says if something like that happens, people can evacuate to their cars or the nearest building, like a high school gym.
"We do conduct entry point searches where we use wands. In some cases, we have used the walk-through medical detectors, and we try to prevent people from coming in with any type of weapons," says Kendrick.
Grooms says to ensure athlete safety, there's also emergency crews on scene and defibrillators in the event of an injury or medical emergency.
"We take care of all safety precautions as necessary, so we can take care of our athletes. That's the main thing," says Grooms.
"Just come out and enjoy the game. We want this to be a safe environment for everybody -- spectators, students, just everybody," says Kendrick.
Don't forget, football games are school events, so if a student gets in trouble for starting a fight or bringing a weapon, that can also result in school suspension or other disciplinary measures.
The Georgia High School Association requires all of its schools to draw up emergency plans for every sport season, showing how they'd respond to natural disasters, serious injuries or illness, or even acts of terror.