Warrick County School Corporation officials told the board they have received weapons-detection gate units and will begin vendor-led staff training in December, followed by a live student pilot.

Dr. Walter Lambert, who presented the security update, said the vendor will conduct training beginning Dec. 8 and then run a live trial with students on the morning of Dec. 9 at Castle High School, followed by visits to Booneville High School, middle and other sites. "We still need to be trained, by the company. So that training is gonna start taking place in December," Lambert said.

Lambert described the purpose of the live pilots as testing operational issues, including whether gate placement causes any radio- or electrical-interference and how bodies moving through the gates affect detection. He said the vendor has experience conducting large-scale first-day deployments: "The gentleman who does it says he... had a school with 4,000 kids get in, no problem, on first day." The district plans to produce videos for students and an FAQ for parents explaining gate operation and search procedures, and to communicate directly with families about the pilot schedule.

Board members emphasized minimizing delays to building entry and noted the district will make adjustments to traffic patterns, bus drops and other logistics as needed. No formal action was required; the presentation served as an informational report to the board.

Next steps: staff will proceed with vendor training on Dec. 8, run the live pilot at Castle High School on Dec. 9, and share instructional materials with parents and students ahead of the pilot.