A pronounced emphasis on safety and security will be evident when Memphis City Schools open Aug. 11.

Middle and high school students will face metal detector screenings every morning, at least for a few months.

About 500 metal detectors will be in operation across the city, and all school staff will be trained to use the machines to cut down on the time it takes.

And new high-tech ID badges will allow administrators to scan a student's badge to find out which class he or she belongs in and to determine their access to other parts of the school building.

By December, Supt. Kriner Cash plans to increase the number of officers walking the halls of middle and high schools to 104. Seventy-seven will be in place when school opens.

Gerald Darling, currently chief of the Miami-Dade County Schools police force, will join Memphis City Schools on July 28 as chief of school safety, security and emergency management.