For the first time since a gun was found at Apalachee High School last week, students returned to the Barrow County campus. On Tuesday, they did so after walking through weapons detectors.
The OpenGate weapons detection system — designed to recognize “metallic weapons,” including knives — was installed Monday during a remote learning day for students.
“Please know we will do our best to make the screening process go as smoothly as possible and we will continue to improve the process over time,” Apalachee High Principal Jessica Rehberg said in a message Monday to students’ families. “Each day will improve the process.”
Parents, students and community members have been urging school district officials to implement security measures like this since a 14-year-old was charged in the shooting and killing of four people at the school in September. District leaders were researching the best options but moved up their planned discussion after another 14-year-old was arrested and charged Wednesday with having a firearm on school grounds.
The school board voted Thursday to spend up to $700,000 on the OpenGate weapons detection system. The detectors will be installed in the district’s other two high schools when the machines arrive.
Change for Chee, an activist organization that has led the call for quick safety enhancements in Barrow schools after the shooting, commended the board for purchasing the weapons detectors. “But our work is far from over,” the group said in a statement on Instagram:
“Safety is about layers. Clear bag policies, enforceable classroom safety rules and regular safety town halls are still needed to strengthen these efforts. And let’s not forget — middle and elementary schools must also be protected.”
Barrow County received dozens of sales pitches for weapons detectors in the year before the shooting, emails reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show. However, metal detectors remain rare in schools: Fewer than 10% of schools in the U.S. screen students daily with metal detectors, according to the most recent federal data. They can be expensive and often require multiple staff members to operate effectively.
How the detectors work
The OpenGate system uses “advanced sensors and imaging technology.” The system can also detect vapes, according to the district’s website. It does not use artificial intelligence or facial recognition.
People can walk through the detectors, which will turn green if nothing is detected but will turn red and beep if there’s an issue. Chromebooks and laptops, metal water bottles and the metal spine of large notebooks may alert the detector.
Additionally, the detectors are portable. District officials said students should be prepared for screenings at school entrances, as well as at random locations throughout the day and at other on-campus events.
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