Sheffield City Schools testing new weapons detection system

SHEFFIELD, Ala. (WHNT) — Each day when a parent sends their child off to school, the safety of their student is top of mind. Now, Sheffield City Schools is the latest school district to implement a new security measure on its campuses.

Last week it implemented the OpenGate weapons detection system at Sheffield High School. OpenGate is designed to screen people for weapons and other prohibited items. It works by just having people walk between the two poles, similar to a metal detector.

“I think this just adds an additional layer of security to the measures that we already have in place,” said Princess Jones, Assistant Principal of Sheffield High School.

She said so far, the test run of the system is going well.

“They walk through, if the system goes off then we pull them to the side, we’ll check their bags and then have them walk through a second time to ensure that nothing is actually on them or in their pockets” she added.

Jones said since they debuted the OpenGate system they have not seen any long lines or delays for students getting to class. The system is designed so students can keep their backpacks on when they go through. However, some metal objects like laptops and water bottles can accidentally set it off.

Jones said students are cooperating, even when non-threatening items accidentally set it off.

“We are just trying to identify what is setting it off, and once they understand, ‘Oh, my cup is setting it off’ or it may be ‘my laptop is setting it off’, then they’re like ‘ok, I’m cool with this’ and they proceed through,” Jones said. “There haven’t been that many more complaints about it” she added.

Senior Alex Miller said he already feels safer on campus with the OpenGate system in use.

“I think it’s positive,” he said. “It doesn’t add that much, it’s just students walking through it and if it does go off it takes like 30 seconds for them to go through your stuff.”

The OpenGate system is lightweight and can easily be moved, so Jones said in the future they may implement it at sporting events.

Sheffield City Schools said it is rolling out the OpenGate system “in phases in the coming weeks.”

It said, “All students and visitors to campus during regular school hours will be subject to search”.

Sheffield City Schools said it purchased three OpenGate systems for $20,000. SCS said it was purchased through State Safety Grant funding, Colbert County Commission’s distributions through TVA in lieu of tax money and Simplified Sellers Use Tax.

Sheffield City Schools is now the first school system in the Shoals to use this type of weapons detection system.

Other school systems in north Alabama, like the Madison County School System, use OpenGate, or a similar system.

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