Will school weapon detections cause class time delay?

[Anonymous]

It will be interesting what happens to the poor high school students of that hurticane skirts us.

Back when all the kids were destroying schools for tiktok likes, one of the kids lit a girl's bathroom on fire. The school was evacuated just when the heaviest part of a tropical storm remnant rolled it.

It was awful, teachers and students soaked to the bone from a windy, chilly downpour as the fire drpartment put out the fire and cleared the building. That only took around 15 minutes, but everyone was soaked.

Standing outside for an hour while 2900 students try to get through 6 metal detectors is going to be awful when it rains or once it starts to get cold.

[Anonymous]

How do you know if your school will be using metal detectors? There has not been an email.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the world we live in we expect instant gratification. People, especially younger, don't know how to wait for things. Yes, there might be delays but as with anything new, there will be a transition time. I have heard from school staff and parents who are at schools who already have detectors, that it takes about a week or two for everyone to get used to them and then it moves quick. So why is everyone freaking out about our poor kids having to wait in line, instead of thinking of the bigger picture, now our kids will be safer!

Gatehouse is this you....my kid was constantly losing 30-45 minutes of instructional time in History class and he was there 20 mins early. Stop talking at people you sound dumb and like you are sitting behind a comfy desk trying to make it all seem ok.

Nope I’m a parent like you with common sense. Are you talking about last year because of course they didn’t have a full fleet of metal detectors, they were testing it out. Highly doubt it took your son an hour to get through.

6 netal detectors for approximately 3000 students is nowhere near a "full fleet" of metal detectors.

1 metal detector for 500 students.

25 minutes to get through the metal detector and butts in the chair in class.

Every student must empty their backpacks and open their purses.

To achieve this with the handful of metal detectors FCPS hired, that comes to 20 students per minute required to get all 3000 students through the door and in their seats by the bell at 8:10 when the classrooms all close the doors and go on full lockdown.

Please explain how the math works for this "full fleet" of 6 metal detectors.

I'm an upthread PP whose entire division uses weapons (not "metal") detectors. If the kids scrub their backpacks of weapon-like objects (hence my comments on no 3-ring binders, metal/liquid filled water bottles, etc) and they take their laptops out and (literally) hold them over their head as they walk through the "detectors" -- they don't get set off and can walk thru at a normal pace and the line does move along. But the first few weeks have a steep learning curve for everyone (what they can/can't bring); they eventually back off on the tolerance level, and, yes, move certain kids along. Backpacks, lunchboxes, and personal items are "hand" searched only if the detectors go off. Our school has a total of four detectors -- one at the office, and three at the bus loop entrance for all ~2000 students. Faculty and staff does NOT get checked but all visitors do.

That said, our detectors stop sensing things a few inches above the ankle. Wanna guess what kind of stuff literally walks into school, in shoes?

Like I said, they are not making it safer; there are too many holes/inconsistencies. It is not a deterrent; it's just a PITA. They're checking off a box.

I wish they'd expend equal energy and effort to eliminate vaping in the bathrooms. So glad this is our family's last year in The System.

It’s like the new Volunteer FCPS program and requirements, too. Someone thinks they’re making schools safer, but there are lots of holes and in the end maybe it’ll be a tiny bit safer, but they’ll have pushed away a lot of volunteers in the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know if your school will be using metal detectors? There has not been an email.

Every HS.

Not sure about MS.

[Anonymous]

Oakton is opening their doors at 7:30 but they've done that for a while now.

[Anonymous]

I am very concerned about delays due tk the metal detectors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know if your school will be using metal detectors? There has not been an email.

All high schools and middle schools will have them.

[Anonymous]

It makes no sense to me. We have a dozen or so trailers outside the school that are accessible from multiple public areas, including two neighborhoods and a public park, and a thousand or so kids outside the school between periods, and so of course the school doors have to be left open all day in order for kids to go from the trailers to the school between periods. Literally anyone could walk during that time. What is the point of funneling kids throug a metal detector in the morning? If someone wanted to, they could just walk around the side of the building.

[Anonymous]

If your student is coming back from an Academy class do they go through the detectors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your student is coming back from an Academy class do they go through the detectors?

No. They are only running them from 7:40-8:00.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your student is coming back from an Academy class do they go through the detectors?

No. They are only running them from 7:40-8:00.

I did hear school shooters won't come in after 8 so...

[Anonymous]

Our MS did not send an email out about metal detectors. Did others get emails? Did people see them already during Open House?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in Prince William where we have them and we have found that it moves very quickly. Get there ontime or early and you will not have problems. It's a relief as a parent not to have to worry about my child getting shot or stabbed at school.

1. Out of the many kids you know, how many do you personally know have been stabbed or shot?

2. My friend pointed out that the ones in FCPS will not protect against knives hidden in binder type notebooks because those don't pass through the detectors. At PW, do students bring all belongings through or are binders passed around the detectors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It makes no sense to me. We have a dozen or so trailers outside the school that are accessible from multiple public areas, including two neighborhoods and a public park, and a thousand or so kids outside the school between periods, and so of course the school doors have to be left open all day in order for kids to go from the trailers to the school between periods. Literally anyone could walk during that time. What is the point of funneling kids throug a metal detector in the morning? If someone wanted to, they could just walk around the side of the building.

To make people feel safe

Not to make them actually safe

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It makes no sense to me. We have a dozen or so trailers outside the school that are accessible from multiple public areas, including two neighborhoods and a public park, and a thousand or so kids outside the school between periods, and so of course the school doors have to be left open all day in order for kids to go from the trailers to the school between periods. Literally anyone could walk during that time. What is the point of funneling kids throug a metal detector in the morning? If someone wanted to, they could just walk around the side of the building.

To make people feel safe

Not to make them actually safe

But most people including students have listed ways to get around this system....this is an unfunny joke unless it's done properly. Why are we having students miss instruction time for security theater?
I'm all for safety but sadly this isn't it.