Woodbridge Installs High School Metal Detectors After Teen Brought Loaded Gun To School

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The Woodbridge school district announced it will install metal detectors at the doors of all three high schools after a 17-year-old boy brought a loaded gun into Woodbridge High School last Tuesday.

This was announced Wednesday by school superintendent Joe Massimino in this letter sent to only high school parents. He said the district intended to install metal detectors in schools next year but, "in light of the recent incident at Woodbridge High School, our district will not be waiting until next school year," he said.

"We met with vendors to review products, visited other districts to observe their procedures and researched items for both efficiency and cost," said Massimino. "The plan was to allocate funding for this project in the 2025-2026 school year beginning this July."

But the devices will now be installed much sooner than that. They will now be "immediately deployed," he said. These will be walk-through metal detectors that students and staff have to enter to get into the building.

Only the three Woodbridge high schools will get them; they will not be installed in the district's middle or elementary schools.

"Our school district has already placed an order for delivery where they will be immediately deployed to each of our three high schools," said Massimino last week. "Our coordinator of security, along with our building administrators and security personnel, will be meeting to discuss the logistics so that a plan can be shared with the community prior to installation."

The Woodbridge school district has already been using metal detectors at high school athletic events, such as football games this past fall.

"As a parent, I share your frustration in the need to have a weapons-detection system in our schools," Massimino added. "However, student and staff safety must remain our top priority and we are willing to take whatever steps are necessary."

The teen who brought the loaded gun had sent threatening text messages to another teen boy on Monday night. That teen reported the texts to Woodbridge High teachers first thing Tuesday morning. Administrators and school security searched the student's items, and a loaded firearm was found in his possession. Woodbridge Police were called to the high school at 8:07 a.m. last Tuesday; seized the firearm and took the 17-year-old into custody. He was charged with acts of juvenile delinquency for offenses which if committed by an adult would constitute illegal weapons offenses, terroristic threats, possession of a firearm on school property and possession of a ghost gun.

New Details On Student Who Brought Loaded Gun To Woodbridge High School After Dispute (March 18)

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