Houston County School District installs metal detectors

School officials say the new security measures are aimed at keeping students and staff safe. 

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Houston County School District takes another step to improve campus safety, after installing metal detectors to help prevent weapons from making their way into school buildings.  

School officials say the new security measures are aimed at keeping students and staff safe. 

“Safety will always be our number one priority, and our students, staff, and parents know that. By adding these metal detectors, it’s going to allow us to maybe see something we wouldn’t have caught,” said Perry High School Principal Dr. Arthur Billings.  

He says they want students and families to understand the importance of the new metal detectors.

Students are being asked to keep their backpacks in front of them and have their Chromebooks and notebooks ready to help make the screening process quicker and easier. 

“So that our kids won’t be confused. They understand that, hey look, this is to make sure that we all are safe, not just our students. Safety is everybody’s responsibility: our staff, our students, the administration, our teachers, our parents, any visitor that walks through our doors,” said Dr. Billings. “On campus, they go through the entry points, the points where we have our detection systems, and they have been informed how to best come to campus. They know to make sure their Chromebooks are out, their notebooks are out” 

He says campus safety has always been a top priority, and the new metal detectors are another step toward keeping students and staff protected. 

“Well, I’ve been working in the house of campus for 20-plus years, and safety and security has always been our number one priority. Our district is always looking for ways to improve security and keep all of our campuses safe. So, any time, you know, is the right time to protect our campus. So, it doesn’t matter what it is that we are bringing into the newness of our campus. We always know that safety and security is number one,” he said.  

School officials hope the added security measures will provide greater peace of mind for families across Houston County.