According to officials, Houston ISD will start setting up weapons detection devices on campuses where guns have been found in the previous 12 months the following week.
According to Superintendent Mike Miles, the weapons detectors will be easier for pupils to pass through and less invasive than standard metal detectors like those at airports.
High schools are our first priority, of course, and we will see if we have adequate funding for middle schools next year. However, Miles stated this week that we began with the high schools where we have already discovered guns this year.
Following the installation of the detectors at Lamar High School, the district will start setting up the equipment at the campuses of Bellaire and Northside high schools, where students have previously been discovered in possession of firearms. This week, the schools started hosting community meetings to address any queries families might have about the new systems.
Miles was unable to provide an exact cost estimate for the detectors at a press briefing on Monday. According to him, grant funds will primarily fund the new systems for the ensuing two years.
Houston Public Media asked the district on Thursday and Friday how much the detectors cost, but the district did not answer. Staff members will probably take turns watching the detectors. When pupils pass through the detectors, district police must also be there in case anything is discovered, according to Miles.
According to Miles, staffing will be a school-by-school matter. You simply cannot have those without staffing, which is why we are conducting the drills and planning to see how they will be staffed.
Students are seen moving through the towers in a district video showcasing the new Open Gate System detectors. When passing through the scanners designed to detect heavy metal objects, students simply took their computers with them and left their backpacks behind.
After two students were arrested and charged with bringing firearms to Lamar High School last year, the district announced plans to increase campus security.
District police responded to the incident by stepping up on-campus patrols and announcing that they would start wanding students with handheld metal detectors when they arrived in the morning until they were certain the problem had been fixed.
RELATED: Houston ISD officials claim Lamar High School has increased security after students brought firearms to campus.
Last year, when school threats increased, at least seven Houston ISD (HISD) students were taken into custody and charged.
Miles remarked of Lamar, “It’s a really big school.” Since it has multiple entries, we are combining them in the hopes that this will be just one more security measure.
However, Miles stated that the systems will not be a panacea.
According to Miles, it does not imply that firearms will not be allowed in classrooms. This is an additional layer, and as a precaution, we have installed these weapon detecting systems in our schools.
According to the school system, pupils were discovered in possession of weapons at Bellaire High School twice in a four-day period last year. A local elected official who serves the area called for tighter gun legislation and increased gun safety in response to the incidents.
RELATED: Lamar Consolidated ISD is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a security system that uses artificial intelligence.
There may be more detectors deployed in some HISD schools than others. According to Miles, in a 30-minute period, roughly 600 pupils ought to be able to pass through the detectors.
According to HISD spokesperson Lana Hill, the detection devices will be installed at every high school by May.
According to Hill, families will receive notifications about the rollout at their campus one to two weeks prior to the event, so be sure to pay attention to those messages.
