Weapons Detectors At School Entrances Considered At Alexandria Public Schools

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A weapon detector program at Alexandria City Public Schools is under consideration by the school board.

On Thursday, the school board will have its next discussion on the pilot program that would add weapons screening at school entrances. A presentation planned for the board indicates students, staff and visitors would enter through screening equipment.

If the screening equipment produces an alert, a more thorough search would happen as secondary screening. If no alert is produced, the person would proceed to the ID check or visitor check-in process.

The proposed locations are the Alexandria City High School King Street and Minnie Howard campuses, George Washington Middle School and Francis C. Hammond Middle School. The locations were suggested due to the prevalence of weapon detections over the last three semesters, the presence of security and school resource officers, and volume of students and staff for testing purposes.

On Feb. 2, the school board approved moving forward with an engagement process for the pilot program. The Feb. 2 presentation indicated the screening would happen through technology that uses "ultralow frequency, electromagnetic fields and advanced sensors" to detect weapons.

The technology is considered more advanced than the traditional metal detector and doesn't have an arch. The cost would be $60,000 for each affixed system unit and $13,000 for a mobile unit.

The goals of the pilot program are to reduce the likelihood of weapons on school campuses, address safety concerns, increase protective measures and reduce student and staff anxiety.

A survey to collect public feedback is expected to open on Feb. 24. Survey results will be presented to the school board on March 16. A board decision to proceed with the pilot program is also expected in March.

If the program is approved, equipment will be sought in March and April with installation slated for April. Under the anticipated timeline, the launch of the weapons screening program would happen in May.

The pilot program could join other safety measures introduced at the start of the school year — an ID requirement for students at middle and high schools, designated entrances to control access, a staggered dismissal process for high school campuses and supervised lunch blocks for high school campuses.