News

Oct 03, 2023

GISD discusses using metal detectors at high school

Jul. 25—Greenville ISD is currently considering using metal detectors (both walk-throughs and hand wands) to help bolster security at Greenville High School. While not currently a budget item for

Jul. 25—Greenville ISD is currently considering using metal detectors (both walk-throughs and hand wands) to help bolster security at Greenville High School.

While not currently a budget item for 2023-24, the GISD school board discussed the option at their meeting last Tuesday and the topic was revisited with members of the public at a GISD community "coffee talk" Saturday.

When Greenville ISD Chief of Police Ramon Rodriguez initially presented the possibility of implementing metal detectors last week, he spoke of it in context of being applied at all nine of the district's campuses (with an estimated price tag of $120,000-$150,000).

He also talked about how the detectors could be used to not only help with the confiscation of many types of weapons, but also with deterrence and "creating a more comfortable learning environment."

However, as members of the school board discussed the possibility, more than one of them brought up the multiple portable buildings at Greenville Middle School and how impractical and/or ineffective metal detectors could be on that campus. Some then pointed out that the elementary schools are mostly single, self-contained buildings and therefore metal detectors may not be necessary in their cases, so the discussion quickly focused on how implementing metal detectors could look at just the high school.

Even if only implemented at the high school, the question provoked several logistical concerns among the trustees — seeing as the campus has about 75 doors that open to the outside.

GISD Supt. Sharon Boothe then explained that procedures would need to be put in place and that staff would need to be trained on how to use the detectors and control student traffic through those points, which led to concerns about excessively delaying students when entering or re-entering the building.

"I know that at the airport, you have to come two hours early to be detected, but we can't expect the students to have to do all that every day," said Trustee Anne Haynes.

In addition to concerns over slowing the flow of traffic on campus too much, Trustee Bonnie-Jean Stewart pointed out that procedures would have to be well mapped out for people with implanted medical devices like pacemakers and artificial joints, and that there would have to be both male and female inspectors at every checkpoint.

After the discussion at the last school board meeting, Supt. Boothe recommended getting more information together and doing more planning before sending out a survey on metal detectors to parents, staff and students.

When the question of using metal detectors at the high school was revisited at the coffee talk Saturday morning, the community members present mostly expressed support for the idea.