Elementary Schools in Savannah-Chatham Will Begin Random Contraband Screenings

The Savannah-Chatham County Public School District has expanded its random contraband inspections to include all elementary schools, a policy shift officials say is intended to address safety concerns among younger students.

According to reporting from the Savannah Morning News, the district has long required random searches in middle and high schools under its student code of conduct. This school year, the practice was extended to all 20 elementary campuses.

“We’ve seen a lot more younger students, over the years, start to bring things into school,” said Justin Pratt, the district’s Emergency Management and School Safety lieutenant, speaking to the Savannah Morning News. “Instead of it becoming an issue, we’re trying to find those objects on the front end and address it.”

Pratt said the searches focus on contraband that would not be flagged during standard security screenings, including vapes, lighters, cigarettes and small pocket knives. School administrators — such as principals, assistant principals, deans or designated teachers — conduct the searches. School resource officers are not involved because they would legally require probable cause.

Administrators can search bookbags and use handheld or walk-through metal detectors. Two or three searches occur each week for a short portion of the school day. Any contraband found is logged so district analysts can track trends and direct education or prevention efforts.

The process uses a randomized system to determine which students or groups are screened. Each week, a civilian analyst with the Board of Education Police Department sends every principal a number between one and 10. If a principal receives the number four they then decide how to apply it. That could lead to checking every fourth student in a lunch line or checking the fourth bus to arrive on campus.

Parents were notified by email in October when the inspections became mandatory. The district told families the shift was “not due to any specific threat or concern” but part of a broader effort to maintain safe learning environments.