MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Metal detectors caught a Southwind High School student with a gun as he walked into school Tuesday morning.
At the start of the school day Tuesday, around 8 a.m., deputies say a loaded silver and black 9mm handgun was found in a student’s backpack.
The 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon on school property, all thanks to new and improved technology.
The security upgrades are part of Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ $37 million investment this school year.
MSCS spends millions on security upgrades
Last month, WREG walked the halls with Chief of Safety and Security Carolyn Jackson to see first-hand how every day, when students walk into Southwind High School, they walk through metal detectors in a daily screening process.
“If I’ve got a backpack, I’ve got to take it off because the system tells them where I’m alerting,” said Jackson. “For us and our kids, safety is priceless.”
Priceless safety with a $17 million price tag so far.
“We want them to know that they are important, and we feel that, and we want them to feel it as well,” said Jackson.