DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County parents are expressing their concerns after they experienced issues with the school district's newly installed weapons detection system.
"It's definitely delaying my child from getting in the doors," said Stephanie Klosik, a concerned parent.
Video from a viewer showed lines stretching outside of Chamblee Middle School of students waiting to be screened in the Evolv system on Tuesday.
Students at Chamblee Middle claimed they waited over an hour and Tucker High students said they waited in long lines early Wednesday morning.
Parents are alleging that the system that is only supposed to detect weapons is also picking up school supplies and materials with metal.
The district has clarified that the system is for weapons and items that could become weapons-- and not a metal detector.
"Having everyone stand in line-- take out their phone, their binders, their Chromebook, anything with metal, and still having to wait in the line to go through. It's just too much, especially with everyone trying to get to class on time," a DeKalb County student said.
In a letter sent to staff and families, the district claimed that the system has been successful at other schools but there were a few experiencing issues.
For the affected schools, the district issued corrected measures to resolve the problem. The district added that personnel will relearn sessions and do more practice drills to become familiar with the system.
District officials also added that certain students with band instruments should be prepared to have their instruments checked.
"The good news is that our rollout of this technology has been overwhelmingly successful in our schools. We also recognize that with any new technological advancement, additional learning opportunities may be needed, as is the case in a couple of our schools," the letter said.
Conrad Moore, another concerned parent, said he is glad to see the system in use and feels it's making children safer despite its negative feedback.
"Children have to feel safe in school in order for them to be able to learn and not just be on edge. And last year, my daughter texted me that message that no parent wants to get, 'There's a issue here at school, I'm scared for my life,'" Moore said.
Officials also stated that the students that were standing in the line were not given tardies, but parents said otherwise.
"The first day of school he was about 20 minutes late into school. He was marked absent. Once he was able to get into class, he was able to get it corrected. It's definitely affecting him," Klosik said.
Klosik is optimistic that the district will create a solution to the issues.
"As always, the safety of our students, staff, and families is our top priority," the district said.
Read the district's full statement online here.