COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. — Before entering the halls of Colbert County High School, everyone must pass a test and generally, 98.6 is the preferred “grade.”

Colbert County Schools is now using GoSafe scanners. They resemble tablets and use facial recognition and infrared technology to take the temperature of everyone entering a school.

Superintendent Gale Satchel said they provide an added layer of protection in the fight against COVID-19.

“It gives us a baseline of exactly where everyone is health-wise and then it doesn’t require the nurses to actually be here,” Satchel said. “It’s freestanding; it takes the temperatures and the kids keep going.”

All eight schools in the Colbert County system received two scanners. Funded through the CARES Act, the scanners add to the growing arsenal the system has to prevent the virus from spreading, like machines that spray a disinfecting solution.

Satchel said the scanners will aid in the fight against another virus as well.

“Not only are they here for the pandemic, but also during flu season,” Satchel said. “When students come in, the temperatures can still be taken, the parents, guardian, any visitors that come on campus, it can still take their temperatures.”

Because they don’t require someone to man them, Satchel said the scanners remove a point of contact. If someone begins to feel ill during the school day, they can simply have their temperature taken at the scanner instead of seeing the nurse.

Satchel said the cost of having scanners in all eight schools totals around $50,000.