DeKalb County Schools to increase security measures after increase of weapons on campuses

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County School District has installed new weapons detection systems at middle and high schools.

Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes was the only reporter at McNair High School to get a look at the system.

“What we had to realize is that we had to do something to make sure that our students and our staff members are safe,” said Dr. Vasanne Tinsley from the DeKalb School District.

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Dozens of students were caught with weapons on them at DeKalb County schools this past year and that’s part of the reason why the school board finally approved the purchase of weapons detection systems across the district.

It’s something that has been discussed and voted down in DeKalb for at least 10 years.

Superintendent Tinsley said times now have changed.

“Mental health concerns are different, we’ve got laws that are different now and so we just realized that we had to do something, it was time to act,” she said.

Students will walk through as normal every morning and the system will pinpoint anyone with a weapon.

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Campus security teams will hear the alarm, see a red light, and pull that student aside.

The district used the system for the first time during graduations.

“We were able to confiscate some knives - we confiscated some lighters,” she told Channel 2 Action News.

Every middle school and high school in DeKalb County will have these when school starts in August.

“We are working tirelessly to make sure that they are all set up and training takes place so that day one schools will be ready,”

There’s more security coming to DeKalb schools, teachers will have panic buttons on them making it easier and faster for school police to get to their classrooms.

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