RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — About 2,000 students at Rockvale High School walked through metal detectors for the first time Thursday to enter the school building.

It’s part of a district-wide roll out of a new weapons detection system called Open Gate in Rutherford County Schools.

"It's tragic that we're here, but this is so helpful to us as another tool to keep our kids safe,” Claire Maxwell, RCS Board Chair, told News 2.

The district said overall, parents have been on board with the added security — even if it means some inconvenience. On Thursday morning, students who arrived early got in quickly, but at one point, there was a line that wrapped around the side of the building.

"We talked with other large districts — with large schools — across the nation, and really, within the first three to four days, you see a huge decrease in your time," immy Sullivan, Director of Schools for RCS, said. "Then within the first two weeks, you're back to kind of a normal schedule for your students to arrive."

The district said that Open Gate is very similar to security you'd see at Nissan Stadium, Bridgestone Arena or any sort of concert venue. It'll be operational at every school by next Tuesday and every major athletic event including football and basketball by next Friday.

"Ultimately, having weapons detection systems in schools was something that — if you would have asked me several years ago — that I would not have supported," Sullivan said. "But it goes down to making sure our staff and students are safe, and anything we can do to make sure there's yet another deterrent and to keep our students and staff safe is something that is a no brainer."

Thursday's Open Gate training came one day after a school in which two Minneapolis children were killed. School officials say they hope Open Gate will give families peace of mind.

"It's something that you hate to have in a school setting, but ultimately with safety, this is just yet another way to keep our students safe,” Sullivan said.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/rcs-weapons-detection-system-rollout-continues/