Lap-shoulder seat belts can help keep students safe in a side-impact crash, but the test’s main focus will be seeing whether the seat belts improve student discipline and reduce distractions for drivers.
All district visitors will be required to present a valid state-issued ID in order to get a visitor pass and enter the school building. Upon scanning the state ID, school staff will be alerted as to whether the visitor is allowed on campus.
“The goal is to be proactive in identifying the threatening behavior,” Senator Karla Bigham said. “A lot of times those behaviors are evident before a tragedy occurs.”
The Raptor system is operated by the school’s security monitor and checks visitor’s state-issued IDs against national sex offender databases.
Hospitals and healthcare facilities are some of the most active public spaces in the United States, and while most facilities strive to maintain a welcoming atmosphere, without protective measures this open-door policy can make them vulnerable to criminal activity.
The men who serve as armed guards work in teams of three every Sunday morning, according to a schedule emailed out every six weeks. Two men are placed near the main entrances to the church and double as greeters for the service. A third man stands near the pastor at the front of the church.
“We placed them so that wherever you’re out on campus, for the most part, on the main walking corridors, you can see one,” said Kent Anderson, assistant vice president for facilities management.
“It’s impossible for the schools to properly screen each individual entering the building without slowing down the voting lines,” said Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, patron of House Bill 1752. “This creates a security concern because it potentially allows strangers unwarranted access to the school building.”
Gov. Eric Holcomb offered free metal detectors to any district in the state last summer. New Albany Floyd County Schools accepted the offer and received the new equipment last month.
The district said students, employees and parents can use the SafeSchools Alert tip line to report safety concerns via phone, text or email, and have the option of doing so anonymously.