Weapons Detection Systems Being Installed in Franklin County Schools This Week

Schools in Franklin County should all be equipped with new weapons detection systems by today.

That’s according to Scott Andrews, Director of Safety and Security for the Franklin County Charter System.

At the Board of Education meeting Tuesday, Andrews said all of the detectors were delivered and he planned to begin training personnel on the systems and have them installed by today.

“They all came in. We’ll begin our training with the administration in each school,” he told the Board. “And then we’ll start pushing them out to the schools. But we’re excited and all our administrators are excited and looking forward to having them in our schools.”

Andrews said they want to have them installed so the students can get used to going through the detectors.

In February, the Board approved up to $200,000 to install the hi-tech detection equipment in each school. The money will come from SPLOST V.

Since last fall there have been three incidents on school campuses in which a student brought a gun to school and one incident in which an adult was found to have a gun on their person.

At that meeting, Acting School Superintendent Chuck Colquitt said it’s another step in efforts to keep students safe.

“The $200,000 is for us to buy a weapons detection system for all schools. So that way, as kids or adults go through school it will be able to identify whoever has a weapon,” he explained. “We’re looking at making our schools safer. We’ve done a number of things before this but we felt this was necessary. We looked at other schools that do have them and we thought this was the best way to move forward concerning our ability to keep our kids safe.”

The weapons detection is part of an overall safety plan instituted by Andrews and the Board over the past year.

In January, Andrews launched a new app for students to use to report if a student was carrying a weapon or any other kind of incident.

The student is able to make the report anonymously via the app which is then sent to school staff. Students can download the app via a QR code posted on signs in every school.

Additionally, Andrews and school officials held a public forum for parents and the public in February on what is being done in the school system to protect students and staff.

Last November, the Franklin Charter system received a $50,000 Rural Education Safety grant from the Georgia Department of Education.

That money was used to purchase a key card entry system for all of the schools.