ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Technology is constantly evolving, and weapons detectors and other advanced security systems have become a hot topic when it comes to school safety.
While these are great tools, both Roanoke City and Roanoke County Public Schools told WDBJ7 they need to go back to basics when it comes to school safety.
“You can have all the security measures you want — metal detectors, weapons detectors, at the end of the day it's still people,” said Chris Perkins, chief operating officer for Roanoke City Schools.
Perkins stressed that while schools have weapons detectors and other technology installed for safety, that's only one part of the overall security effort.
“We've heard of some issues happening, but it could be due to a threat, so it can be used as a deterrent,” he explained.
We requested data from the last school year to see how often the district's evolv weapons detection system was used.
The system was shown to have been used 39 times during graduation ceremonies, athletic events, and even during regular school days.
The school district said staff found e-cigarettes and, at one point, a student threw away a pocket knife, but no guns were reported to have been found.
In Roanoke County, the school district does not have weapon detectors, but Executive Officer Tammy Newcomb said a new safety feature this year will be installing e-cigarette detectors in high school restrooms.
“The vape detectors serve a number of purposes. Firstly, they let us know if a student is vaping on school grounds. They also let us know if something is happening in the restrooms and there's a loud noise,” Newcomb explained.
Both school districts have also taken measures such as double-door foyers that require visitors to sign in by computer.
There are also efforts to encourage students and parents to report suspicious activity.
“When you call the police, they contact us, we contact our SRO officers and that's how we handle it,” Newcomb explained.
The Roanoke City School District has a 24/7 reporting line called “Speak Up for Safety” and encourages parents and students to use the line any time they hear something suspicious.
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