What would be the process to get metal detectors in MCPS schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if this has been discussed/voted on in recent years? Do some schools already have them? What would be the most effective ways for parents to help make this happen?

I'm curious why anyone would want to spend tax dollars on this other than the RWNJs?

[Anonymous]

They are not cost or time efficient. Even the new ones that use sensor technology (so you don't have to remove metal jewelry or belts, they can detect the shape and thickness of metal weapons) take minutes per person to scan. You would also need extra trained staff to monitor the process of each student walking through and be able to respond if a weapon was found.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are not cost or time efficient. Even the new ones that use sensor technology (so you don't have to remove metal jewelry or belts, they can detect the shape and thickness of metal weapons) take minutes per person to scan. You would also need extra trained staff to monitor the process of each student walking through and be able to respond if a weapon was found.

PG County is doing it. What does PG County know that MoCo doesn't and can't know? Does PG have more resources and expertise than us?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is LEO who operates metal detectors. He said they are actually challenging to operate correctly and require trained workers. The County is short on police, sheriffs to do courthouse security, and McPS security….where are they going to get the trained officers to run all these metal detectors? Some studies showed TSA misses the majority of weapons and I guarantee that the equipment and staffing McPS could get would be seriously inferior to TSA.

I support bringing back SROs and increasing security so that there is a security officer in each HS hallway as well as most doorways. I just don’t think metal detectors work well, and don’t want my kids to have to get up an hour earlier so they can stand in long lines while 3000 kids go through a metal detector. (And anyone that wants to shoot a kid could just do it while they are walking to a portable or eating lunch outside.)

You're worried there's not enough staff to man the metal or weapons detectors, but then in the same breath expect a security in each HS hallway. Where do you expect that number of staff to manifest to man hallways if you don't believe there's enough to man the detectors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People don’t want them, particularly if they are not part of a comprehensive security plan that doesn’t paint all kids as potential criminals. Why? Because metal deter and clear backpacks are not a new novel idea. Plenty of places have already tried this and still have incidents happen.

There aren’t metal detectors on every door entrance at colleges/universities? Neither do they exist at all private schools?

Most of the problems seen in schools start outside of school. Mental health, food insecurity, politics as a sport instead of governing, gangs, etc etc. If we dealt with societal issues instead of hiding and kicking the can down the road then what goes on in schools would be education.

You live in La-La Land, not reality.

Morgan State and Bowie State University are considering measures like walls, cameras and weapons detectors after two devastating shootings ruined their homecomings last month, which include adding more walls/fencing to the physical campus and a clear bag policy for events and "More enhanced technology to enable campus law enforcement to detect and identify any individual on campus with a weapon":

https://www.morgan.edu/news/campus-safety-enhancements

The long-term societal issues you propose we address, which aren't coupled with targeted, specific solutions and lack a timeline, don't help with the short-term needs for safety and security of staff and students next week.

What is your proposal to make the building safety next week, while you work on curing the underlying poverty and home-based trauma that is outside of the remit of the school district to solve and on an indefinite timeline?

Metal detectors and clear bags have been tried in schools across the country and guess what… still guns, still mass shootings and everything else that goes along with it. Nothing is going to make schools safe next week and I’m not naive to believe it so.

All airports aren’t fully the same after billions of dollars in investment and years of time. They’ve added metal detectors, body and bag scanners, police officers circling around, dogs sniffing people while they stand in line and limiting what people can carry on.

People on this forum already complain about what time kids have to be to school. What time do you think they’ll need to be there if everyone has to pass nicely through metal detectors every morning? Will they have to clear a checkpoint when exiting and entering to go to portables? How will the portables be secured? Etc etc. And did someone somewhere agree to provide millions of dollars for all these new metal detectors and the people and maintenance that needs to go with them???

Oh and btw the short term needs that students and teachers are most suffering from us students already in school with behavior and control challenges. How might metal detectors help that?

Something that is 40, 50 or 60% effective at reducing risk is better than 0% of doing nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are not cost or time efficient. Even the new ones that use sensor technology (so you don't have to remove metal jewelry or belts, they can detect the shape and thickness of metal weapons) take minutes per person to scan. You would also need extra trained staff to monitor the process of each student walking through and be able to respond if a weapon was found.

PG County is doing it. What does PG County know that MoCo doesn't and can't know? Does PG have more resources and expertise than us?

https://www.wusa9.com/amp/article/news/local/maryland/weapons-detectors-phased-prince-georges-county-public-schools/65-c304668d-2564-4550-bc5b-fe10574157c6

[Anonymous]

MCPS is all about perception. They installed vape detecting systems in a few schools and never turned them on. Endless equity training with no clear goals and directives. Hiding complaints about abuse and protecting bad admin. Etc…

McKnight surrounds herself with people who say the right things instead of putting people in charge to make changes. Endless committees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is all about perception. They installed vape detecting systems in a few schools and never turned them on. Endless equity training with no clear goals and directives. Hiding complaints about abuse and protecting bad admin. Etc…

McKnight surrounds herself with people who say the right things instead of putting people in charge to make changes. Endless committees.

Yes, as one of the schools that they did this, I can confirm that. Why do crap like that and risk getting called out for it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't want metal detectors in MCPS schools.

Why not? What is the big deal?

Because it doesn't make schools safer, but does make schools more prison-like.

You know what makes the schools even more prison like? The violent criminals who MCPS shuffled from school to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't want metal detectors in MCPS schools.

Why not? What is the big deal?

Because it doesn't make schools safer, but does make schools more prison-like.

Also because it costs money that would be better spent on almost anything else.

It indeed made the airport pretty safe, why would you think the school is any different

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't want metal detectors in MCPS schools.

ABSOLUTELY agree!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are not cost or time efficient. Even the new ones that use sensor technology (so you don't have to remove metal jewelry or belts, they can detect the shape and thickness of metal weapons) take minutes per person to scan. You would also need extra trained staff to monitor the process of each student walking through and be able to respond if a weapon was found.

PG County is doing it. What does PG County know that MoCo doesn't and can't know? Does PG have more resources and expertise than us?

They must be more foolish since it hasn't worked in other places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't want metal detectors in MCPS schools.

Why not? What is the big deal?

What’s the big deal? Maybe ask parents at a school with them and find out how disruptive they are and how difficult it is sit the kids to get in to school in a timely manner? No, my kids school is not going to be a prison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if this has been discussed/voted on in recent years? Do some schools already have them? What would be the most effective ways for parents to help make this happen?

Jack Smith sent this memo to the board in 2018:
https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/boe/meetings/memorandum/180926-cost-install-metal-detectors-08-30-18-05.pdf

"A recent report in the Los Angeles Unified School District found that the metal detection system was ineffective compared to other security measures and had a negative impact on school climate. This report recommended removal of the metal detection systems in that district."

That seems clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't want metal detectors in MCPS schools.

Same