NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Three Newport News high schools got new metal detection systems that students will have to walk through, a spokesperson for the city's school system told 13News Now Thursday.
The systems at Warwick, Menchville and Woodside high schools are designed to scan a large number of people to make sure students are screened for restricted items in a timely manner, according to Michelle Price with Newport News Public Schools (NNPS).
The upgrade is part of a district-wide change to increase school security following the Jan. 6 shooting of a first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School by a six-year-old student.
In wake of the shooting, NNPS vowed to increase security measures, including the requirement of metal detectors at every school in the city.
All students, faculty and staff will have to walk through these detectors, and some schools will have more than one.
The rollout of the detectors at all schools is expected to be completed by March 14, according to Price.
However, some Newport News residents say the new measures do not go far enough in order to protect students.
The Thursday rollout of the detectors came a day after a student at Woodside High School allegedly brought a gun to campus. Price said that the school went into lockdown and a gun was recovered from the student's belongings.
He was charged with several crimes, but the specifics of those charges have not been made public.