Multiple Alabama school districts are implementing new security systems like metal detectors and X-ray machines. Others are incorporating more school resource officers on campus.
Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, said officer training at NASRO has significantly increased between 2021 and 2023. That’s usually an indicator that more schools in the country are adding SROs.
Alabama school districts are required to offer some safety and security measures, but much is left up to local implementation and funding.
A 2023 AL.com analysis of recent school safety and discipline incidents found increasing reports of guns, tobacco, threats and fights.
Marion County Board of Education announced in late July two that SROs would serve the 1,600 students in Hamilton.
Canady, who spent 25 years at the Hoover Police Department, said positive relationships between adults such as SROs and students can “effectively help create a safe school environment.” Good relationships mean students are more open to sharing information.
Tuscaloosa County Schools recently installed the OpenGate Weapons Detection System in every intermediate, middle and high school.
The system, similar to a traditional metal detector, uses two freestanding pillars that screen people with bags, backpacks and purses to detect metal objects.
AL.com’s analysis of the most recent available state data found five incidents of possession of a firearm or firearms component in Tuscaloosa County during the 2022-23 school year.
This year, Sheffield City and Bessemer City announced weapons detection systems at their schools. There were four incidents of weapons possession during the 2022-23 school year in Bessemer City, and none reported in Sheffield City.
Mobile County Schools also implemented a new advanced weapon detection system at middle and high schools as part of their enhanced safety plan.
The district’s security plan includes crisis alerts, random searches with dogs, security cameras and limited visitor access. AL.com reported 12 gun possession incidents during the 2022-23 school year.
Canady said installing metal detectors should only be part of an overall school safety plan “designed to enhance what we already have going on around school.” He said relying only on weapons detection systems can “create a false sense of security.”
The most important issue with school safety is ensuring the perimeter is secure. This includes making sure all doors and windows have working locks. Students, faculty, and staff shouldn’t prop them open or just let someone in a door.
“If all of those things are problems, then the metal detector or the weapons detection system really doesn’t enhance our school safety. We’re not correcting the existing problem,” Canady said.
Canady said security technology must “go hand-in-hand with the everyday boots on the ground.”
WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT SCHOOL SAFETY?
Parents should ask administrators questions about safety and security in their child’s school. Canady said they should know the policies and procedures in place, such as how often safety drills are held. Alabama recommends two “code red” drills at each K-12 school every year.
“They need to know that the school district is taking safety very seriously,” Canady said.
Multidisciplinary safety teams should be at every school, and it is “everyone’s business,” according to Canady. A team should ideally include a school counselor, administrator, mental health specialist or social worker, and a law enforcement liaison. If there’s an SRO, parents should know if they’re well-trained.
Families should know the “culture and climate of school life” and whether children and teachers feel safe there.
Canady mentioned that schools can utilize climate surveys for parents and staff. He also recommended reading about Safe and Sound Schools’ Averted School Violence Database, which monitors “close calls” anonymously shared by law enforcement and school personnel to improve student safety.
State lawmakers weighed in on student discipline issues in the 2024 legislative session. Students have a right to a hearing and appeal for potential suspensions, expulsions and alternative school placement process. Legislators enacted a “Teachers’ Bill of Rights” which educators to remove students for disrupting class.
School districts also must create comprehensive safety plans including maps that administrators will share with local law enforcement. These laws go into effect Oct. 1.
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