Winston-Salem Forsyth County school board addresses new security and prevention measures

The Winston-Salem Forsyth County School Board met Thursday to address safety and prevention initiatives in the wake of recent school shootings. The system is taking a multi-pronged approach.

The meeting began with a lengthy overview of current security measures like school cameras and safety drills. Also goals like expanding control points of entry in high schools, random canine checks, and new pilot programs including random wanding checks and clear book bags.

Superintendent Tricia McManus says this is just one piece of the school safety puzzle.

“We cannot just put Band-Aid measures on things and not address the prevention,” says McManus. “What I mean is that our students come to school with trauma that they have faced — adults come to school with trauma that they've faced — and we don't even know what that looks like.”

Prevention measures include professional development training for mental health, trauma resilience and more. The district also plans to hire new counselors, school psychologists, and social-emotional learning coaches. Additional resources will be given toward early behavioral education, monitoring and intervention.