GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Weapon detection systems are now being used at all Georgetown County middle and high schools.

District administrators conducted a review of their current safety procedures following a slew of security-related issues impacting the district since the beginning of the school year.

Prior to fall break, Georgetown County School District Superintendent Keith Price said the district ran a combination of metal detector and weapon detector checks and is monitoring the efficiency and effectiveness of their safety procedures.

A few adjustments are now in place, like using OPENGATE Weapons Detection Systems at the entrances to every middle and high school in the district.

“We will be implementing strictly weapons detection checks at all entrances of middle and high schools using our OPENGATE Technology equipment,” said Superintendent Price. “By using these devices, instead of our metal detector walkthroughs, we should be able to move students through more quickly using considerably fewer staff members to do it.”

When students approach their school entrance, they will need to remove laptops, three-ring binders with metal rings, and cell phones. They will then walk through the gate while carrying their book bags.

“As long as there are no weapons or large metal objects in the book bag, the student will be able to then claim their belongings off the table and move on to class.  If there is an alert as the student passes through, they will be moved to a secondary check station where there will be a thorough check to determine what is causing the alert,” Price explained.

Parents are asked to ensure their students arrive on time so the system does not become bogged down.