Students that attend Fulton County Schools and DeKalb County Schools were met with new security improvements including weapon detection systems and push-button alert systems on the first day of school Monday.
In DeKalb County Schools, push-button alert systems were installed across the school district and weapon detection systems were installed in all middle and high schools.
The weapon detection systems use “advanced artificial intelligence and sensor technology to distinguish weapons from personal items,” according to 11Alive.
The push-button alert systems are used by staff members via a button attached to a badge meant to be worn at all times. When the button is pushed, crisis protocols are instantly initiated. In addition, when the button is pushed, the location of that button can be seen by administrators and law enforcement in order to pinpoint exactly where the threat is and “expedite response time,” Dr. Derrica Boochee-Davis, the principal at Columbia High School, told the outlet.
Fulton County Schools has also implemented the push-button alert systems in addition to new intruder drills and sign-in software for this school year, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
In a July newsletter, Fulton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney said that the “safety and security of students and staff continues to be a top priority,” adding that “additional safety drills will occur this year in accordance with new state law changes.” Looney previously served as the Williamson County Schools Superintendent in Tennessee.
The beginning of a new school year for both Fulton and DeKalb Counties also came with challenges beyond safety and security. Both school systems are reported to be experiencing a shortage of employees, including teachers and bus drivers.
In the weeks before this school year began, DeKalb County Schools reported that it still needed 400 certified educators to be “fully staffed to start the new year.”
Both school systems serve more than 90,000 students each.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network.
Photo “First Day of School” by WoodleyWonderworks CC-NC-2.0
