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BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) — Instant background checks will be conducted as visitors enter schools this year in an Oklahoma district where a student was charged with plotting a mass shooting that was never carried out.
Visitors to the Bartlesville Public Schools will have to swipe their driver's licenses or ID cards at kiosks that will run instant background checks before they are allowed to enter, the Tulsa World reported (http://bit.ly/XWrpGn ).
"This is going to be a great addition to our district," Superintendent Gary Quinn said. "It will be an adjustment to our visitors at first. However, the long-term impact will be very positive."
The district is also giving ID badges to students to enter its buildings and is installing 220 new surveillance cameras. Quinn said increasing the number of security cameras allows school officials to better monitor buildings and adds another level of security.
Residents in 2013 approved $1.4 million in funding for the new security systems after threats during the 2012-2013 school year. Former Bartlesville High School student Sammie Chavez, now 20, was convicted of planning to cause bodily harm at the school by plotting a mass shooting and bombing. No attack was carried out. Another student showed up on campus with a machete.
Classes start Tuesday for Bartlesville Public Schools. The district estimates all schools will have instant background check kiosks by Aug. 25.
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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
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