By Barry H. Hendrix
Comprehensive security upgrades are coming soon to the Thomasville City Schools District.
Beginning the morning of Monday, Feb. 10, all students, faculty, and staff will be screened by new portable metal detectors at the main entrances at all three campuses.
The metal detectors ($17,000 each) are manufactured by Open Gate Weapon Detection Systems and are being purchased for the school district through state Advancement and Technology (A&T) Funds.
The detectors will be manned by the school’s Student Resource Officer and administrators and faculty trained by Open Gate. Thomasville will be the only school district in South Alabama that have these detectors.
OpenGate is a system designed for the automatic screening of people, including their backpacks and bags, for the detection of “Mass Casualty Metal Threats,” such as high caliber assault weapons and IED devices.
Visitors to the three campuses will also be screened through the detectors, which will be in service the entire school day. The detectors will also be utilized for all extracurricular activities in the school district.
Each morning as students enter through the detectors, a visual and audible alert will sound if the OpenGate detects something. The system is programmed to distinguish between everyday items and weapons.
“Our student and faculty safety are our number one priority,” said Vickie Morris, Thomasville City School Superintendent. “We are very proud that our schools have this layer of security as we are very small rural school. Other larger schools around us do not have them.”
Since the early days of “One-to-One” laptop computers, Thomasville City Schools have tried to be a step ahead in technology. After the implementation of the detectors, the next step will be Centegix Crisis Alert System security badges worn by administrators, faculty, and staff.
Installing the badges will be a five-month process, said Kate Huggins, system Technology Director, with devices being tested with faculty and staff being in May. Full implementation will begin as school begins in August.
All employees will have a badge, Morris said. In addition, all visitors to all three campuses will receive a temporary badge. The badge will allow school officials to track the whereabouts of all faculty, staff, and visitors. The Centegix badge has an automatic panic button, and the administration can be notified concerning a medical emergency as well as threats.
New advanced electronic door and gate locks are also being installed this spring, and the new badge will used as a key to enter school buildings. “That badge is going to be your everything,” Morris said. The price of the Centegix badge system is $200,000 over a five-year period, Huggins said.
The high school lobby will also have more security with the construction of an additional interior wall during the spring.
“At the end of the day, we have to know we have done everything that we can to keep our kids safe,” Huggins said.
(OpenGate metal detectors are pictured.)