Warrick County School Corporation to Implement a Weapons Detection System at Each High School Campus

Warrick County School Corporation to Implement a New 'Weapons Detection System' at Each High School Campus

In recent weeks, parents have expressed concern over student safety at Warrick County Schools after lockdowns at Castle High School. Today, the Warrick County School Corporation sent a letter to parents outlining their plans to improve safety on school grounds, which includes a weapons detection system at each high school campus. This will be in addition to their current safety protocols and protections which include resource officers and police patrols, locked exterior doors, secure visitor protocols, cameras, student mental health support, staff training, and many other resources.

The letter, which can be read below, states that WCSC has begun the process of ordering the equipment, and both students and staff will be trained on the equipment. Parents will be informed when the new equipment arrives and is implemented.

Get our free mobile app

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The Warrick County School Corporation (WCSC) remains committed to continually monitoring and reviewing our safety protocols and security measures. As an additional action step to strengthen our layered safety approach, WCSC will begin rolling out the installation of a weapons detection system at each high school campus.

WCSC has begun the process of ordering and securing the technology equipment. Prior to implementation, students and staff can expect training and support, including viewing the technology, receiving expectations, and practicing school-entry procedures to ensure readiness for the transition. WCSC will be fully operational as swiftly as possible once delivery from the vendor, installation, and training occurs. Families will also receive school-specific details and updates from building administrators in the near future, including information about upcoming school safety presentations.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please reach out. Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Additional Information – Sample of Current Safety Protocols and Security Measures

Since WCSC has received some inquiries about current practices, you will find a general list of our current safety protocols and security measures below. Of course, this list is not exhaustive, and please understand that other layers not visible to the public are also utilized.

• Physical Security Strategies:
• Cameras inside and outside school facilities
• School Resource Officers
• Single secured visitor entrances
• Visitor management system that requires ID and runs a sex crimes background check
• Fencing, bollards, and/or other natural physical barriers
• Door swipes and contact sensors (currently being installed across the district – began last school year)
• Law enforcement patrols
• Exterior and interior locked doors
• Limited entries for student arrival
• People-Focused Safety Strategies:
• Strong reporting culture (including an anonymous reporting system)
• Strong school culture and climate (students are connected to their peers and staff)
• Proactive student support through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
• Increased counseling, mental health, social worker, and behavior staff and programs
• Collaborative staff school site safety teams
• Emergency Preparedness Strategies:
• Required school-level and district-level written safety plans (submitted to the IDOE)
• Crisis communication for staff (Catapult) and parents (ParentSquare)
• Common language Standard Response Protocol (Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter)
• Twenty trained School Safety Specialists
• Monthly training drills
• Building-level Threat Assessment Teams
• Collaboration with first responders
• Stop the Bleed kits in every classroom
• Community Emergency and Law Enforcement Collaboration:
• Monthly Safety Commission meetings whose members include school corporation officials; city, county, and state law enforcement; juvenile probation and judge; prosecutor’s office; DCS, EMA, and others
• District monthly SRO meetings and daily building-level engagement with SROs
• Continual review and revision

We will keep you up-to-date when new information is available from Warrick County School Corporation.