Monday is the first day of school for students in Cumberland County.

This year there will be a new non-invasive weapons detection system.

Cumberland County Schools officials have been planning to install this system in all schools since receiving approval to purchase the system earlier this summer.

It’s called the Open Gate Security System and is used for security in several school systems and businesses across the country.

The system is non-invasive, meaning students can walk through without anyone touching them. It can detect weapons just like other metal detectors.

It will be set up in the entrance areas of school buildings for daily demonstrations, but the system is portable so it can easily be transported to soccer fields and other events with large crowds on school grounds.

District Superintendent Marvin Connelly has some things families need to know Monday morning.

“Every high school, every middle school will have gun detection systems, and we will have scanners for our elementary schools,” said Dr. Marvin Connelly, the district’s superintendent. “We have worked with our sheriff’s department and all of our communities to align security and school crossing guards at our schools.”

Connelly talked about some things parents need to know as the new school year begins.

He stressed that the school system’s top priority is to ensure that schools provide a safe environment for students, teachers and staff. Connelly said the Open Gate Security system is just one of the means to ensure this.