SALEM, Va. (WSET) — With the first day of school approaching in Salem, district leaders say they are expanding security technology and tightening policies aimed at keeping students focused in class.
Salem City Schools will start on Aug. 18. Superintendent Dr. Curtis Hicks said student and staff safety remains a top priority, and the district is building on steps taken last year at Salem High School.
Last school year, the district installed an AI weapons detection system at Salem High School. This year, the system has been added at additional campuses.
“We use a program called Coram AI, and it uses your existing camera infrastructure to monitor weapons in schools,” Hicks said. “Since that time, we’ve implemented the same program at Andrew Lewis Middle School and one of our elementary schools, and hopefully by the end of this year, we’ll have the program at all four of our elementary schools.”
Hicks said the goal is to help school leaders and law enforcement respond faster to potential threats…