The Christian County Board of Education voted unanimously at a special, virtual meeting Monday afternoon to purchase a concealed weapons detection system for Hopkinsville and Christian County high schools and Bluegrass Learning Academy, a district spokeswoman said in a press release.
An agenda published before the meeting said the detection system would cost $809,609.
“We believe this is the right step in regard to campus safety,” Superintendent Chris Bentzel said in the release. “Student safety is our number one priority. While these detection devices add a layer of protection to our campuses, we believe our students and staff play the most important role in campus safety. If you see something, say something.”
The decision to approve the large expenditure for weapon detection comes one week after a student at Hopkinsville High School allegedly tried to run from HHS and threw a gun on the roof of the school after he was pulled from a classroom. The incident occurred on Monday, Feb. 6. Bentzel said another student told a coach about the gun, and a school resource officer responded, according to a news report on WHOP.
The district chose a Motorola Concealed Weapons Detection system that “will enable proactive safety, security, and peace of mind for students, parents, staff, and visitors” at the three schools.
“The scanning solution uses advanced sensors and artificial intelligence to detect a wide range of concealed weapons and threats, such as firearms, metallic weapons and improvised explosive devices, on a visitor entering the premises,” the release states.
School board chairman Tom Bell told Hoptown Chronicle the district will have scanners at multiple entrances at both high schools and one at Bluegrass Learning Academy.
“We don’t want to have a backlog, or have students standing in the rain,” said Bell.
A device will allow up to 3,600 visitors to walk through one of the scanning systems per hour. The district touted the advantage of scanning for weapons “without having to conduct pat downs or empty pockets or bags …”
The district currently uses “random wanding” at both high schools to check for concealed weapons, said Bell. Devices that check for weapons are “almost a given now” at public venues, he said.
The devices are mobile, so the district will be able to move them to different schools and events, such as athletic events and graduation.
This story was updated to include comments from board chairman Tom Bell.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
