Henrico Schools’ metal detector field test this month to involve middle, high schools

The initial field test of metal detectors and weapon-detection devices scheduled to begin as soon as next week at some Henrico County public schools will involve only certain middle and high schools, according to recent correspondence from school system officials to citizens.

A subsequent set of field tests then will take place at some elementary schools, once officials have crafted plans that they can implement in “a developmentally appropriate approach” using what they learn during the secondary field tests, they wrote in an email last month to citizens who had inquired about the plans.

The Citizen first reported Dec. 2 that the school system was planning to conduct a test of various metal-detecting equipment at some of its facilities, and Superintendent Amy Cashwell later emailed stakeholders Jan. 22 to explain the rationale for those tests. The school system has witnessed a handful of incidents in the past year or involving students bringing guns and other weapons to school, and Cashwell wrote that she was angry about that reality.

“Students should not have anxiety about going to school, and teachers should not have to worry about putting themselves in harm’s way to protect their students,” she wrote. “Enough is enough.”

In her e-mail, Cashwell wrote that the field test of metal detectors would begin by mid-February “at multiple schools at all levels across the county.”

In an email sent later that week by school system officials to several citizens who wrote with thoughts about the plans, officials noted that the field tests would involve a variety of metal-detection methods and initially would be limited to secondary schools.

“This means that a select number of middle and high schools will participate in a staggered, temporary (approximately 2 weeks) field test of one of the following at campus entries: stand up, walk thru metal detectors; hand held wanding; or new weapon detection scanners often used as professional sports venues, similar to stand up metal detectors,” the message read. “Depending on the physical layout of the school, size of the student population, and method used, the specifics of the field test will look different in each building.

“Not all schools, and not all students at selected schools, will be impacted. Rather, the field test is designed to try different models, gather data and feedback, learn what works and inform future decisions about division-wide safety efforts.

“Principals of impacted schools will be communicating directly with parents and families well in advance of the field test beginning about what to expect and how to participate in the feedback process.”

The initial field tests are designed to provide school system officials with an understanding of the logistical and financial implications of their potential implementation, officials wrote. Following the testing period, officials will send surveys to (and form focus groups consisting of) parents, teachers and students to receive their input about the process.

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In Henrico, officials want to see how various types of equipment will work within various types of school campuses.

“The field test will strategically evaluate short-term implementations across schools with a varied range of security components (different campus styles, different geographic locations, different levels, etc.) to determine viability and effectiveness,” Tuckahoe District representative Marcie Shea wrote to a constituent Jan. 23. “[A] field test does not necessarily imply there will be eventual division-wide implementation – it is an assessment.

“It is my understanding these screenings will be similar to the screenings before entering sporting events that already exist on our campuses. We are also looking into other additional school-specific measures like swipe cards at Freeman due the to nature of how the building is traveled including the use of outdoors as hallways.”

Various school systems throughout the nation already are using forms of weapons-detection devices.

Cashwell received an email Jan. 19 from Deputy Hopewell Schools Superintendent Jay McClain outlining what Hopewell officials had learned about such devices during recent visits to three schools in North Carolina’s Mecklenburg and Guilford counties that are using them.

In his email, McClain wrote that in Mecklenburg County (Charlotte), implementation of 162 Evolv scanners cost the division about $15 million and resulted in a drop from 23 weapons found in schools to just 2, along with a 50% decline in other weapons. Most schools in the county, he wrote, have two or three entry points and a single-lane scanner at most of them, with a dual-lane scanner at some others.

Some items routinely trigger the detection system, he wrote, including Chromebooks, three-ring binders, some water bottles, umbrellas and eyeglass cases. To prevent those triggers, school officials have students hold their Chromebooks over their heads or do a pass-around, he wrote.

Hopewell officials observed about 700 students pass through a single-lane scanner in about 15 minutes, McClain wrote. The process involved five staff members – one administrator, one security staffer and three teachers (who received stipends for working the bag check). Mecklenburg officials estimated that 80% to 90% of school system stakeholders supported the scanners, according to McClain.

Last month, officials from several companies that make or sell metal-detection equipment and scanners (including Johnson Controls Security Solutions, GXC Inc. and Alliance Technology Group) emailed Cashwell offering their services and products for consideration.

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In an email last month, Henrico County Council of PTAs President Jessica Corbett wrote that her organization supported the school system’s decision to implement field tests of metal-detection devices while also acknowledging that solving the issue of violence and potential violence in schools will require many additional efforts.

“Parents, caregivers, and schools must collaborate to address societal and community problems that lead to violence,” she wrote. “As a community, we can work together to help our schools be safe places for all.  This includes asking our elected officials to fund programs that enhance safety in our communities and schools.”

The 2021 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions for Henrico County Public Schools found that nearly 80% of Henrico public school students felt safe in their classrooms – lower than the statewide average of 83.5% and the regional average of nearly 83%.

“Virginia does not fund unified mental health teams for our schools at the nationally recommended ratios,” Corbett wrote. “Our schools need flexible funding to partner with community-based mental health and telehealth providers to connect students and families with care. They also need funding to implement evidence-based strategies to reduce bullying, school violence, and shootings.”