Peach County schools to install weapons detectors within 6 weeks
The district says the technology will help staff identify potential threats, with all detectors expected to be installed within six weeks.
FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Peach County schools are taking new steps to strengthen school safety. The district has announced a new weapons detection system designed to help identify potential threats before they enter school buildings.
Officials say the technology is part of a larger effort to keep students and staff safe.
With the uncertainty of day-to-day activity, assistant superintendent Bernard Young says the system will help strengthen school safety and help staff respond to potential threats before they escalate
“We have three things for layered support,” he said. “We have the open gate system, which is a weapons detection. We also have the entry shield, which will take a picture and locate if there’s something that’s been detected. The last thing we have is VOLT; it takes care of all our blind spots. It’s not just about weapon detection; it’s about any emergency or unwarranted behavior we may have.”
Fort Valley Middle School principal Kizzy Johnson says the new system will help ease anxiety for students and parents, while providing greater peace of mind.
“Our students will still come in feeling safe, supported, valued and loved,” she said. “But now they have an extra layer protection to make sure there safe. Our parents worry about their students coming to school every day, especially when things happen close to home. So, this layer of protection will give them the opportunity to say, ‘I’ve already been sending my student to a safe environment, and now there’s an extra layer of protection to make sure they stay safe.'”
Peach County High School senior Khazion Harris says he feels safer knowing this new technology is being implemented.
“I feel like it’s a great improvement, because there’s a lot of things that goes under the administrators’ nose and teachers’ noses that they don’t see,” Harris said. “So, it will add more eyes and have more people there to assess the situation, so it won’t go unnoticed.”
Resource officer deputy Willie Marshall says the new technology will make day-to-day operations more efficient and help improve safety across the school.
“There’s the extra layer of protection and knowledge that if there is something detected, I know how to respond to it and how to handle it from the law enforcement perspective,” Marshall said.
The Peach County School District says all detectors will be placed into schools within the next six weeks.
