Hancock County Schools ramps up security measures following weapon incident at elementary school
Security measures across the Hancock County School District have been ramped up following a recent incident involving a student who brought a weapon to the elementary school.
SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Security measures across the Hancock County School District have been ramped up following a recent incident involving a student who brought a weapon to the elementary school.
As students arrive for school, they are now required to go through metal detectors. It’s a policy that’s already been in place at the high school and middle school levels.
Superintendent Dr. Anton Anthony says the metal detectors play a role in keeping students safe.
“This is a proactive measure that we’re going to continue to do for the remainder of the year,” he said.
Dr. Anthony believes the detectors act as a deterrent for students. He noted that since the implementation of the detectors, the district hasn’t experienced any further incidents.
Hancock Central High School Principal Dr. Daymond Ray Jr. says in addition to the metal detectors, the school conducts daily safety checks.
“If they have drugs or things, that’s not going to go off in a metal detector,” he said. “But if the kids know that we have random book bag searches, even though they do pass through a metal detector, that too acts as a deterrent against bringing weapons or contraband to school.”
When it comes to disciplinary action, the superintendent believes this could be a teaching moment.
“We don’t want to send our kids to a tribunal,” he said. “We feel that we can at least talk and educate our students so they’ll know not to bring those items to school. We want to help our students and not only be so punitive when it relates to something we can educate our students on.”
Additional security features in the district include security cameras in classrooms and on school buses. As parents send their children off to school, the superintendent’s objective is to keep everyone safe.
“Every parent’s goal is to know that their child is safe when they drop them off and when they pick them up,” he said.
