The Davidson County Schools Board of Education voted Monday to purchase 34 weapon detection systems for middle and high schools.
The district is the latest in North Carolina to begin implementing the OpenGate walk-through metal detectors.
The technology is also used in Winston-Salem/Forsyth, Rowan and Davie County Schools, to name a few. A lot of its appeal comes from the fact that the systems are designed to specifically detect weapons, while letting things like cell phones and keys pass through.
Davidson County School Board Member Sherry Koontz says the community has wanted these for a while.
“As a parent of a kid in Davidson County School and a board member, this is where we've been wanting to go for a really long time. Funding was not there," she said. "So I'm really excited. I know everyone else is too. This is what we needed.”
The board unanimously voted to purchase the systems for $641,000 using funding from the state education lottery. The systems will be placed at school entrances and used at athletic events.