Passing through metal detectors upon entering school will soon become a part of the morning routine for Baldwin-Whitehall middle school and high school students.
All students will go through a portable walk-through “Open Gate” device, similar to systems already in place in many sports stadiums and schools across the country. If those scanners are set off, students would have their bags, purses, or pockets scanned with a hand-held search wand.
These new security measures should not delay students’ entry to the buildings, district Police Chief William Coddington said.
“The technology has improved to significantly improve their use, with no serious delay and minimal intrusion,” Coddington said.
While Coddington said that “the technology can be fine-tuned to detect items as small as a paperclip and as large as a weapon,” the devices will be calibrated so that Baldwin-Whitehall students won’t have to take out objects like phones or keys to pass through.
“The requirements for students will be to remove laptops, Chromebooks, binders and/or metal pencil boxes from their bags/backpacks prior to walking through the gates,” Superintendent Dr. Randal Lutz said in an email to the school community.
In an interview, Lutz said the goal is to improve school safety without causing major delays in students entering school.
“We’re really not looking to detect every bit of metal that comes into the building,” Lutz said. “Our targets are things that could cause harm for the kids and the adults that we serve.”
The scanners allow for 400 people to pass through every 15 minutes. Given the current arrival process at the school, Lutz and Coddington do not anticipate any delays for students or teachers arriving for their first class.
Shaler Area School District has been using the Open Gate security systems since the beginning of this school year. Shaler Area Superintendent Bryan O’Black said school entry for students was a little slower at first, but not now.
“The first couple of weeks that we implemented the Open Gate system, we had some slower delays getting into the building,” O’Black said. “It didn’t take an unreasonable amount of time, and now it’s become second nature.”
At Baldwin High School, the Open Gate devices will be used in the central and south lot entrances as well as the first-floor security entrance. The middle school will also have them. The machines are still being fine-tuned to meet the needs of schools, and training sessions for staff are ongoing.
“The training and implementation of these devices will begin later this week, with a full roll out to follow,” Lutz said in the email. “Once we complete the implementation process at the secondary schools this year, the District will continue to evaluate the use of these systems in other locations.”
The district has been considering installing metal detectors for some time, Lutz said.
“When students have to walk through a metal detector, in some ways it’s sending a message that we don’t trust you, and so I’ve been very hesitant and slow to pull the switch on doing something like this,” Lutz said.
The new technology, capable of specific refinement for a school’s needs, is what finally changed Lutz’s stance on the metal detectors.
School officials say a priority will be to make sure staff and students remain vigilant, even with the metal detectors operating. The devices are meant to be an added precaution, rather than a fail-safe solution to all potential violence.
“We want students to be mindful of what they are bringing into our school buildings. Our goal is to never catch anything coming through the doors,” Coddington said.
O’Black said that in Shaler Area, the devices have been supported by the community.
“The feedback we received from parents, staff, and students has been very positive. They like the reassurance that not only students, but also visitors to the building are going through the screening process on a daily basis,” O’Black said.
Senior Alex Castaneda believes the metal detectors will be beneficial for Baldwin’s staff and students.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea with what’s happening around us, especially with what just happened at Carrick,” Castaneda said, referring to an incident at Carrick High School last month in which three students were stabbed. “I think it is just a reassurance that nothing harmful is coming into the building, and it also gives teachers reassurance that they do not have to worry about things they should not have to worry about.”
Freshman Yar Ator also believes the detectors are a good idea, she said.
“It will take time to get used to. It is a good idea, though, because with the world now, you never know what can happen,” Ator said. “It would make me feel safer at school.”
