Bibb County School District outlines campus police, weapons screening, cameras and transportation tech upgrades

District leaders presented a multi-part update on operational, physical and technological safety measures the Bibb County School District is deploying across its schools.

Chief Curtis Adams and the district’s safety team described campus police as certified officers trained in de-escalation, mental-health first aid and trauma awareness who are expected to prioritize relationships and mentorship before enforcement. Chief Adams said the department has added a simulator training tool to help officers prepare for high-pressure scenarios.

The district described several physical-security and screening investments. Safety staff said secure vestibules have been installed at most schools and two remaining schools will be completed; every campus has a phone-access entry system to screen visitors and funnel them to the main office. The district also purchased Open Gate weapons-detection systems with roughly $1.6 million in school-safety grant funds; staff said students pass through the detectors every school day and that similar equipment was purchased to screen visitors at athletic events.

Technology and monitoring tools were detailed by the district’s technology and transportation leaders. Technology staff described Lightspeed Alert — an online-behavior monitoring system that uses AI and human reviewers to flag concerning activity for early intervention — and an upgraded audio-enhancement system that pairs teacher microphones and duress badges with two-tier alerts so offices and campus police can see a live camera feed in a classroom when an alert is triggered. The district said it operates more than 3,200 interior and exterior cameras and has added radar-enabled perimeter cameras that can pan, tilt and zoom when motion is detected.

The transportation division described bus-safety technology and operations: the district currently deploys bus camera configurations of up to seven cameras and most buses use a five-camera set that captures the driver compartment, entry door, seating zones and a forward/rear view. The district also uses a student ID scan system tied to a MyRide K–12 app so families can track buses and receive notices when students scan on or off. Transportation director Anthony Jackson reported 137 bus drivers and an allotment of 150 driver positions; he said the district remains short of its full complement and that hiring drivers has been a persistent challenge.

Board discussion and questions: Board members asked about officer self-care and mental-health training; Chief Adams said the department refers officers to internal and external support and plans to pursue Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) certification for officers. Members asked which two schools still lack vestibules; safety staff said two remain and promised to provide the specific school names. On bus safety, a board member asked whether buses are required to have seat belts; staff said school buses rely on compartmentalization and are not required to have seat belts. Another board member asked about driver staffing; transportation staff said the system is short by roughly 13 drivers from its allotment of 150.

Why it matters: The district presented investments that span staffing, physical screening, monitoring and digital threat detection intended to reduce risk and improve response times. Several of the purchases were funded using voter-approved local referenda (the East Blost/Esploss funds) and state school-safety grants, which the presenters noted during the briefing.

Ending: Staff said they will continue weekly safety-team meetings, expand training and bring specific follow-up details requested by the board — including the names of the two schools without secure vestibules and additional information about personnel supports for officers and the bus-driver recruitment plan.