Houston County Schools Superintendent shares next steps for district after Warner Robins High School shooting 

HOUSTON COUNTY — It has been over two weeks since the shooting at Warner Robins High School and the Houston County School District will soon add more security measures to ensure students’ safety. 

The HHJ sat down with Superintendent Richard Rogers to discuss what’s next for the school district after this tragic event. 

Safety for the school district is something Rogers said they are always evaluating. Along with camera systems, CENTEGIX badges and School Resource Officers at every school, the school district will implement metal detectors for all middle and high schools.

“If you have a metal detector, it’s a deterrent. If something does come through the door, it catches it,” he said. 

The metal detectors in the school district will be more of a “weapons” detector with its own “school” setting. Rogers said this setting can also detect vapes and cell phones, however.

“In Houston County, we want to do it the right way and we’ve got a lot of work to do over the next few weeks, so when we do install them it’s a smooth process,” he said. 

To set up these metal detectors, there also needs to be a plan in place on where they need to go. Rogers said the rollout for all schools will be a gradual process. He said the entryways at each school may be different but that they are reviewing plans of what makes sense logistically. Rogers said they spoke with other school districts and retired police officers who have worked with metal detectors. He said they would need three to five stations during arrival time. 

“After arrival ends, you close the other two to three entryways down and all students will enter one entryway,” he said. 

The School District will also hire a security guard for each middle and high school that will watch the one entry way that will be open all day. The security guard will also have access to the school’s cameras.

According to Rogers, the Houston County Board of Education has made a $2 million investment for the metal detectors and about a $1 million investment into the security guards. Rogers said the metal detectors will be funded through the E-Splost and security guards would be paid for by the district’s General Fund. 

With all the upcoming added security coming to all middle and high schools, some may compare the schools to the likes of a prison, however, Rogers said he wants Houston County Schools to be “warm and welcoming”. 

“My own daughter goes to these schools, and I want her to smile as she walks in our schools,” he said. 

Rogers also hopes each school can personalize their metal detector. He also explained that metal detectors are used at concerts, major sporting events or wherever there are large gatherings. 

“Metal detectors have become a norm in our society where we have large gatherings and a school is a large gathering,” he said. “If we can [implement] another tool to help parents feel more comfortable that their babies are safe, [then] we need to do that for parents.” 

When Rogers first got the news of the shooting his first thought was if the students and staff are ok. Then, the school district set up a “command post” at the Board Office and Warner Robins High School. Rogers said in an interview that half of his staff were in Perry and the other half were sent to Warner Robins. Rogers stayed at the Board Office with his public relations team.  

“You really want to make sure you have team members at both places and I was in constant contact with the sheriff,”  he said. 

Going forward, Rogers said the school district is  going to come out stronger after a situation like this, keeping the goals of this school year. 

“We have two goals this year: relationships and innovation. We’re going to keep focused on those two and not let this define us,” he said.