LaFAYETTE – The third in a series of open house events conducted by the Chambers County School District was hosted Wednesday by the staff, faculty and students of J. P. Powell Middle School in LaFayette.

The event was attended by government officials, human service agency representatives, current and former educators, parents and members of the community.

As each guest arrived at the school, a newly-installed security system scanned their driver’s license, which compared photo, name, and other information to records maintained by the National Sex Offender Registry. The system, known as Raptor, is being installed at all schools throughout the district to prevent convicted sex offenders from gaining access to school property.

“The Alabama legislature made additional funding available this year for school systems to upgrade their security equipment,” Chambers County School Superintendent Dr. Kelli Hodge said. “We’ve tried to utilize our allotment the most effective way we could to improve the safety of every child in our district.”

Once cleared to enter the building, guests gathered in the library, where Principal Daron Brooks welcomed them.

“Everything we do here is guided by our mission statement, which says, ‘J.P. Powell Middle School’s faculty, staff, and community will develop students who will be academically and socially ready for the next level of education,’” Brooks said. “If you went to school here, the building is pretty much the same. But our methods of teaching have drastically changed.”

To illustrate, students presented a video, which they produced themselves featuring an introduction of all school employees and highlights of various programs, activities, and events regularly conducted at the school. Also, students demonstrated their problem-solving and robotics engineering skills. The presentation was followed by refreshments and a guided tour of the facility.

The next open house event will be held at a.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 17, at W. F. Burns Middle School in Valley.