When students in Catoosa County return to class on August 12th, some new tech installed at middle and high schools aims to help give parents & educators peace of mind.
It's called the HALO, and devices with this technology will be hidden inside locker rooms and bathrooms at schools across the district.
This comes after Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School Principal Brad Langford said vaping was the "number one concern" expressed to him by parents.
Here's how it works:
HALO detects vaping chemicals and aerosols and alerts school staff through email, texts, and network systems.
But that's not all.
It will also detect aggression and volume noise levels in areas throughout the school as a way to prevent bullying.
Students can be equipped with a safe word, and that safe word would instantly notify school administrators and the school resource officer,' Principal Langford told us.
Parent Ronnie Davis told us “I think it'll help them feel safe, and that should, in theory, cultivate a better learning environment.”
“To me, I'm more excited about the safety features that allows if, you know, something bad would have happened here at the school, you can help reaction time," Davis added.
The HALO system does not record audio, and there are no video recording capabilities with that. So Langford says there's no invasion of privacy associated with the device.