DERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Derry is the latest school district to add a new security system to their entrances.
Channel 11’s Addison Albert covers Westmoreland County and got a firsthand look at the tech greeting students and teachers returning to class.
On the first day of school in the Derry Area School District, there will be six possible entry points with six new weapon detection systems.
“We want to be taking an approach where it’s preventative rather than reactionary,” Superintendent Greg Ferencak said.
Ferencak says there will be six new open-gate weapon detection systems: three at the elementary school and three at the middle/high school.
“What that does is allow large entry in a short period of time, and we tried to keep student comfort by trying not to impose, with regard to delaying entry, but getting a number of students in and keeping safety at the forefront,” Ferencak said.
Each detector costs $20,000 to $25,000 and is a one-time expense. The superintendent says this is not the only safety guard they’ve added.
“We also have mental health detectors and behavioral health specialists who work in our schools, so you’ll see that as a layered approach, and then also armed school security,” Ferencak said.
On the first day, students and staff will be introduced to the machines. They can ask questions and see how they work.
The superintendent says they will take feedback, and then the systems will be fully implemented in the second and third weeks of school.
“I am an educator, but I’m also a parent, so we all want to go home to our children,” Ferencak said. “We want our children to come home to us, and so I have the utmost responsibility to be sure that kids are protected and safe, and if the district is saying safety is paramount, then we are essentially putting that at the forefront by having some action there.”
Air conditioning is also being added to the middle/high school.
The first day of school is Aug. 24.
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