SHELBY COUNTY, Ky. (WDRB) — A new change in Shelby County Schools aims to make students safer.
About a month ago, Martha Layne Collins High School, Shelby County High School, Shelby Academy and the Area Technology Center installed OpenGate Weapon Detection Systems.
Students are required to remove metal items from their bags, including binders, umbrellas and metal tumblers, before entering the buildings.
Superintendent Joshua Matthews said the rollout was bumpy during the first week, but after about a month, students have adjusted to the process.
“There is a clear commitment in Shelby County Schools to ensure that we are keeping our students, our staff and our families safe,” Matthews said.
Matthews said the school board supported the six-figure project from the beginning.
“We have some additional funds that we can really spend on students. What better way to spend it than on student safety?” Matthews said.
Last year, two students were arrested after taking a photo with a gun inside a bathroom at Martha Layne Collins High School. The district also dealt with two bomb threats. Matthews said the district is now focused on prevention instead of reaction.
“We live in a world where we understand the risk. We understand sometimes the threat that exists, and running away from that doesn’t help anything. We have to attack that head-on,” Matthews said.
The system is currently only in high schools, but it will be implemented in the district’s three middle schools starting next school year.
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