School Safety
Safety is our Top Priority
Nothing is more important than providing a safe environment for students and staff members, so Chesterfield County Public Schools remains on alert year-round. Schools maintain a safe and nurturing learning environment so students and staff members feel secure, comfortable and supported and can achieve their best. There are many layers of school safety:
Starting in August 2025, weapons detection systems are in place at every middle and high school.
Every middle and high school has an on-site school resource officer (a police officer trained to work in educational environments). Additionally, school security officers are on site at every elementary, middle and high school.
School doors are locked, and visitors cannot enter before communicating with front office staff members.
Secure vestibules restrict visitors to the front office at every school.
Each school has a comprehensive safety plan that includes regular fire drills, tornado drills and lockdown drills so that everyone knows what to do in the event of an emergency.
Each school also has a threat assessment team trained to evaluate potential problems and respond appropriately if students behave in ways that suggest the threat of violence to themselves or to others. Chesterfield County Public Schools takes every threat seriously.
Security film is installed on windows and doors at school entrances to keep broken glass from flying inward.
More than 8,000 security cameras continuously monitor Chesterfield County Public Schools. Additionally, four mobile camera systems are used as needed to monitor large parking lots and athletic events.
Weapons detection systems added to middle and high schools
Weapons detection systems are bringing an additional layer of security to every Chesterfield County middle school and high school. Starting at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, students and school visitors (including CCPS staff members who do not have badge access to a building) will enter through OpenGate scanners, which are similar to those used at amusement parks, concerts and sporting events.
Weapons detection will be active from the start of the school day until dismissal, working to improve safety while maintaining a welcoming school environment. The system is designed to detect a variety of weapons. But no system is perfect, so it will sometimes alert on acceptable metal items and may sometimes miss items that should not be in school.
Here’s how the automatic, noninvasive screening will work:
Students and school visitors (including CCPS staff members who do not have badge access to a building) will pass through freestanding pillars that use advanced technology to detect weapons that may be concealed on a person, in backpacks or in other bags.
Because some safe items may cause nuisance alerts, students should remove them from their bags and hand them to a school staff member before going through the scanner: Chromebooks, three-ring binders, musical instruments, umbrellas, metal lunch boxes, metal pencil cases and metal eyeglass cases. These are the most common items that can trigger nuisance alerts.
After going through the scanner, students should retrieve their belongings and head to class.
If a potential weapon is detected, the system will flash red and beep. When that happens, the student or school visitor will step to one side so a closer search can be conducted.
If a weapon or other contraband is found, then school administrators and/or the police will be notified, and the person may face both school and legal consequences.
This video shows how weapons detection systems work in Chesterfield County middle and high schools. Mira en Español.
Nothing is more important than ensuring a safe environment for students and staff members of Chesterfield County Public Schools. We are all partners in efforts to keep schools safe.
Additional information
School safety is always a top priority in Chesterfield County Public Schools, and schools remain on alert year-round. Weapons detection is another part of safety measures already in place in Chesterfield County Public Schools:
Every middle and high school has an on-site school resource officer (a police officer trained to work in educational environments). Additionally, school security officers are on site at every elementary, middle and high school.
School doors are locked, and visitors cannot enter before communicating with front office staff members.
Secure vestibules restrict visitors to the front office at every school.
More than 8,000 security cameras continuously monitor Chesterfield County Public Schools. Additionally, four mobile camera systems are used as needed to monitor large parking lots and athletic events.
Security film is installed on windows and doors at school entrances to keep broken glass from flying inward.
In December 2024 and January 2025, Chesterfield County Public Schools tested weapons detection systems at two schools. Data from the demonstrations helped school leaders make decisions about adding weapons detection systems at middle schools and high schools. In May, the Chesterfield County School Board voted to procure OpenGate systems and the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors appropriated $2.7 million to cover the cost of the equipment. During summer school on July 14, the school system conducted a trial run at two schools to work through the process before implementing weapons detection at all middle schools and high schools at the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Answers to questions about weapons detection systems in Chesterfield County Public Schools
Working together
Everyone has a role in school safety. We ask that everyone be involved, aware, speak up and join efforts to sustain safe learning environments. If you see something, say something. If you know something, make sure someone at a school knows it too. Students, parents, employees and community members are partners in efforts to keep schools safe.
Supporting students
School safety in Chesterfield County Public Schools School also involves:
Employing caring teachers and staff members who develop meaningful relationships with every student
Collaborating with local law enforcement officials, the county’s mental health team and other community partners to support students and families in need
Addressing student behavior and mental health needs proactively with the implementation of anti-bullying initiatives and positive behavioral interventions and supports
Supporting students through school counseling and other easy-to-access school services such as conflict resolution and team building
School visitors
During school hours, visitors to middle and high schools will enter through weapons detection scanners, which are similar to those used at amusement parks, concerts and sporting events. At all schools, visitors must enter through the main entrance after communicating with office staff via the intercom. Visitors must show photo identification (driver’s license, military ID, passport or other identification issued by a government agency), which will be scanned and checked against the sex offender database and school-specific alert databases.
Keep danger out of reach
Drugs and weapons left within reach of a young child can turn into an emergency quickly. Here is information about keeping children safe at home:
Store medicines safely
Many medicines and supplements can look like candy, and it is hard for young children (and even adults) to tell the difference. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 100 young children are brought to the emergency room each day because medicines or supplements were left within their reach. Protect your child by keeping all medicines, vitamins and other supplements (including those in gummy form) up and away, out of reach and sight. Visit UpAndAway.org or reference Virginia law (§54.1-3401) to learn more.
Store guns safely
An essential part of home safety, secure firearm storage is required by Virginia law (§18.2-56.2). Putting a firearm out of sight or out of reach is not safe storage and not enough to prevent use by children or unauthorized adults.
According to the CDC, the United States had more than 48,000 firearm-related deaths in 2022. That’s about 132 people dying from a firearm-related injury each day. More than half were suicides and more than four out of every 10 were homicides. Firearm injuries affect people in all stages of life and are the leading cause of death among children and teens ages 1-19. Firearms are the leading method of death by suicide among youth in Virginia.
In addition to being required by law, storing firearms securely helps keep kids safe. The Be SMART framework helps parents and adults normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions that can prevent deaths and injuries:
Secure all firearms in your home and vehicles.
Model responsible behavior around firearms
Ask about the presence of unsecured firearms in other homes.
Recognize the role of firearms in suicide.
Tell your peers to be SMART.
The Virginia Department of Education offers helpful resources about securing firearms, seeking help for children who may be a danger to themselves or others and other topics.
Note: In accordance with Virginia law and School Board Policy 6138: Parental Notification of Safe Storage of Prescription Drugs and Firearms, Chesterfield County Public Schools is required to provide parents and guardians with information about the safe storage of prescription drugs and firearms within 30 calendar days of the first day of each school year.
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