The Jeff Davis Parish School Board is moving forward with a plan to outfit its schools with weapons detection systems as an added layer of protection for students and faculty.

The School Board’s Finance Committee granted approval Tuesday to buy 24 weapon detectors from GXC, Inc. on state contract through the Interiocal Purchasing System for $420,199. The purchase is expected to be approved by the full board today at its 6 p.m. meeting.

Superintendent John Hall said the purchase will include walk through weapon detectors with separate hand wands, batteries and bases for each device.

Each school in the district will receive at least one weapon detector with the primary focus on high schools and junior high schools, he said.

“We contacted the schools to see what they needed,” Hall said. “Every school will get what they need based on the size of the school and the school’s need.”

The portable weapon detectors will be used at points of entry, athletic events and special gatherings. “These detectors will definitely add another layer of protection and keeps our schools from becoming soft targets,” Hall said.

The weapon detectors are designed to detect weapons including guns and knives rather than certain types of metal, according to Hall.

Each device will have audio and visual alarms. Hall could not provide specific details on how the detectors would be used due to the need

to preserve the effectiveness and protect details of the school district’s safety procedures.

A state grant awarded to the school district earlier this year will allow the School Board to buy the weapons detectors and accessories at no cost to the board, Hall said.

The parish was one of three parishes in Southwest Louisiana and South Central Louisiana to receive a $518,000 school safety grant as of the Louisiana Department of Education’s Stronger Connections program.

Hall hopes to have the weapons detectors in place by the end of the year.

Several training sessions will be scheduled for employees to learn how to properly use the devices, he said.