Fans heading into Garland Shoemake Memorial Stadium this past Friday had to clear a new hurdle before finding their seats: walk-through weapons detection gates and a strict clear-bag policy, piloted by Coweta County Schools during the East Coweta-Northgate football game. The trial run marked the district's first attempt at airport-style screening for a high school sporting event, following two separate incidents in which firearms turned up at extracurricular athletic events.
According to CBS News Atlanta, the district installed two portable walk-through screening systems, one each at the visitor and home gates, and required attendees to carry only clear bags into the stadium. As reported by WSB-TV, the district set up portable Athena weapons detection systems at the home and visitor entrances, with clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags capped at 12 inches by six inches by 12 inches. Backpacks and bookbags were banned outright, and anyone carrying a noncompliant bag was asked to leave it in their vehicle, though exceptions were made for medically necessary items after a security check.
Why the District Says It Acted
Per the same WSB-TV report, firearms were discovered on campus during extracurricular athletic events twice over the past 18 months. Superintendent Evan Horton said it was visitors, rather than students attending the competing schools, who brought the firearms found in those two prior incidents. The station's report also noted that anyone who triggered an alert on the scanners would be directed to additional security screening, a detail confirmed by WSB Radio.
The push for tighter security follows a fight at an earlier football game at the stadium in August that ended with an arrest and a weapon recovered, per CBS News Atlanta, which reported a gun was turned in to authorities during that incident. Accounts of the arrest count differ: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported five people were arrested and a stolen gun recovered, while a FOX 5 Atlanta clip described six arrests and a dropped handgun at East Coweta High School. The discrepancy between the two accounts remains unresolved.
What Families Said at the Gates
CBS News Atlanta reported that visitors found the new checkpoints smooth to pass through, and an East Coweta High School student said the security measures helped protect attendees and made it feel safe to watch the team play. Gary Baker, an East Coweta High School parent, said he appreciated the added security given concerns about his children being out late, and he noted there was a lot of extra security at the game that night.
Not every reaction was purely positive. Bessie Chunn, an East Coweta High School grandparent, said she was disappointed by the circumstances that made the security measures necessary in the first place. Still, students told CBS News Atlanta the security concerns did not dampen their excitement for the game.
A Pilot, Not Yet a Permanent Policy
District officials have been careful to frame Friday's rollout as a test rather than a lasting mandate. Coweta County Schools will not use the weapons detection systems and clear-bag policy for day-to-day school operations, according to CBS News Atlanta, though the district may deploy the security measures at other extracurricular events in the future and plans to refine them over time. Per The Citizen, the district said the gates may not be used at all such events but that it will reserve the right to employ the systems at any large gathering with many visitors. WSB-TV reported that school administrators plan to refine the new security practices after evaluating the Nov. 6 pilot, and CBS News Atlanta reported that the superintendent will ultimately decide whether and when to implement the measures permanently.
How Coweta Compares to Other Metro Districts
Coweta is hardly alone in turning to scanners and clear bags at school events. School systems in Atlanta Public Schools, Clayton County, DeKalb County, Gwinnett County and Henry County all have clear-bag policies for school events and sporting venues, per CBS News Atlanta. DeKalb County School District has been expanding weapons detection from schools to sporting events while continuing to enforce its clear-bag policy, according to Rough Draft Atlanta, with plans to deploy the security at five football stadiums, six additional high school programs and centers, and the district's main headquarters in Stone Mountain at a reported cost of $1.6 million. DeKalb's clear-bag rule restricts pouches to 4-by-4 inches.
The outlet also reported that DeKalb schools confiscated 117 weapons, including 24 guns, during the 2022-2023 school year, a number that dropped to 66 weapons, including four handguns, the following year. Henry County Schools says weapon-detection systems make up one of several layers of security it uses at large athletic and public events, according to Henry County Schools, alongside a clear-bag requirement for all school events open to the community. In Gwinnett County, several high school stadiums have introduced weapons detection systems and a clear-bag policy for spectators at school sporting events, WSB-TV reported, with the district eventually planning two Evolv A.I. machines at every high school stadium, though not inside school buildings.
