GONZALES — Schools in Ascension Parish are preparing to roll out new weapons detection systems, starting with a pilot program that began today at select campuses throughout the district.
District leaders say the move is part of a larger, more than $2 million investment aimed at strengthening school safety ahead of a full implementation during the 2026–27 school year.
Pilot program rolled out on May 4
Beginning on Monday, May 4, four schools, including Dutchtown High, Lowery Elementary and Middle, and Pecan Grove Primary, began testing the new systems as part of a districtwide pilot.
Dutchtown High principal Barry Whittington, Jr. told previously parents in an email that the pilot will focus on evaluating logistics, procedures, and overall effectiveness before expanding the system across all schools.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority,” Whittington said. “By participating in this pilot, our school is helping shape a stronger, more effective safety framework for all schools in the district.”
Dutchtown High went on lockdown in January after officials said a student brought a gun to campus. No one was injured in that incident and a student was arrested.
School leaders say students and staff may see minor changes to arrival procedures during the pilot testing, but the goal is to keep entry into campus smooth and efficient.
“This pilot will allow us to fine-tune our processes and ensure that we strike the right balance between strong safety measures and minimal disruption to the school day,” Dr. Walker said.
How the system works
District officials say the technology is not a traditional metal detector. Instead, it is a modern weapons detection system similar to those used at large venues and events, designed to identify potential threats while allowing people to walk through without stopping.
“We used to think of metal detectors that will only detect metal. What these weapons devices do is they detect the size and the shape of things,” Ascension Schools Superintendent Dr. Edith Walker told UWK. “So if you had, let’s say, a knife in your pocket, it can detect not just the metal, but the size and the shape of what you’re walking through the metal detector with now.”
“It can detect guns. It can detect knives. Any sort of weapon that you would bring into a school that could hurt someone,” she continued. “It also can detect vapes, depending on the setting that we have, so it can go as small as a vape, as large as a gun.”
The district has already tested the system at athletic events and demonstrated it to advisory groups made up of teachers, parents and students.
District investing more than $2 million
Ascension Parish School District is using $2.5 million from its general fund to pay for the new weapons detectors.
“When we ask our taxpayers to pay property tax and sales tax, they are investing within our school systems,” Walker said. “With those monies, every dollar we spend will go back to our students in one way or another, and this is just another way to invest in our kids.”
The plan is to put five weapons detectors at every high school, three at every middle school, and two at every primary school. The district has five high schools, nine middle schools, and 19 primary schools.
Superintendent Walker said the investment reflects a broader effort to improve campus safety without disrupting the school day.
“To me, this is one of the single most important things that we do. The safety and security of our students and our employees is paramount,” Dr. Walker said. “We know we focus on educating our students in Ascension Public Schools, but it’s hard to educate if kids come to school feeling afraid. So what we want to do is to eliminate that fear for our students, our parents, and our community as much as we can so they can focus on core instruction when they are in our buildings.”
“As long as we can have kids feeling safe and secure in our schools, then we have a better chance of continuing to educate them with excellence,” she said.
The pilot program is expected to help the district fine-tune how the systems are used before expanding them to every campus.
“This is about keeping our kids safe. I would rather put a detection system in place and keep our kids safe than to try to explain to a parent why we didn’t have it in their child is hurt,” Walker said.
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