The Beaufort County Board of Education has unanimously approved the purchase and installation of weapons detection systems for all six of the county’s high schools, marking a significant step in active safety upgrades across the district. The decision came during the October 21st meeting, following an ongoing initiative to enhance safety measures to protect students and staff amid a rise in weapon-related incidents both locally and across the country.
The estimated $1.3 million project—funded with $600,000 from the remaining 2019 referendum proceeds and $425,000 from the district’s Special Projects fund—will introduce modern, high-efficiency metal detection systems designed to identify weapons before they enter school buildings. Board Secretary Ingrid Boatright made the motion to approve, which was seconded by William Smith, District 3 representative.
“I would like to publicly thank the Superintendent and staff for bringing this forward,” said Smith ahead of the vote. “Some of my colleagues may not think that this is appropriate, but I am really looking forward to the community being happy for it.” While the decision was unanimous, not all board members were without hesitation. Boatright, who expressed reservations about introducing weapons detections systems in schools, said, “It’s sad that we’re at this point, but we are at this point, and the district is doing what it needs to do to keep the children safe.”
In a conversation with Beaufort Insider, Board Chair Richard Geier explained that this decision represents the district’s evolution from “passive” safety measures—like door locks, security cameras, and alert systems—to more “active” protection in the district.
“Student safety is one of the district’s highest priorities. Safety enhancements have been funded with almost $80 million dollars from the 2019 and 2023 referendums. That included internal locking devices for all classroom doors, enhanced hardening of entryways into our buildings, enhanced communication devices, visual alert systems, and internal and external video surveillance. These are all passive measures to deal with an active shooter. The district received requests for more active measures to identify weapons before they enter our buildings. We were concerned that entry lines, like you see resulting from TSA inspections at our airports, would cause long delays to the start of classes. We were also concerned that having metal detectors would give students and staff a false sense of security and would therefore not report suspicious behavior. These district staff went out and observed schools that already installed metal detectors and found that transitioning to the additional scrutiny can be successfully done with additional staffing, practice and procedures.”
To alleviate concerns about the initiative, Superintendent Dr. Frank Rodriguez and staff evaluated similar districts that have implemented weapons detection systems, and have identified operations and procedures that will both minimize delays and increase detection capabilities. The district confirmed that installation will begin with all six public high schools, starting a framework that could expand to other campuses if needed. Implementation details, including the timeline for installation, are expected to be announced in the coming months.
This active safety initiative follows a string of weapon-related incidents in Beaufort County schools this year alone. In August, a student was detained after bringing a firearm to Battery Creek High School. Just weeks earlier, another student at the same school was charged with bringing a culinary knife to campus. Earlier this year, four students were reported for bringing firearms to school— two students at Battery Creek, and two at Whale Branch High School. With these incidents still fresh in the public’s memory, the installation of weapons detection systems is both a preventive measure and a reassurance to students, parents, staff that safety remains a top priority.
While no system can eliminate every risk, district leaders are confident that the new initiative will help identify threats sooner and prevent tragedy before it happens. The hope is that the investment will not only deter weapons on campus but also restore confidence among parents, students, and teachers who simply want to feel safe in their schools.
