XYZ School System Weapons Screening

What is weapons screening? A search using a walk-through metal detector or hand-held device is a non-invasive means of looking for weapons and is a standard procedure at airports, the XYZ County Government Center, and some sporting events.

Why conduct a weapons search? Unfortunately, we live in an increasingly violent society and access to weapons provides challenges for anyone interested in maintaining safety in any environment. Children do not always think through the consequences of risky behavior and can make a bad decision such as weapons possession that compromises the safety of others. In addition, we all want students to take the stand to report possession of drugs or weapons in any venue. While this is the ideal, students deal with peer pressure in many ways and some may be afraid to report such behavior. Random wand searches raises awareness of the need to report weapons and hopefully reduces the temptation to bring a weapon on campus. Finally, students will get used to seeing a hand-screener or portable walk-through metal detector on campus and know why it is there. A principal walking down the hall with a hand-held detector or the appearance of the walk-through screener in an area of the school is a visual reminder that screenings are taking place (even if they are not used that week!) and will become a significant deterrent.

Protocol 1. A team of system-level employees will be selected and trained to be part of the weapons detection program. The team leader will be the assistant superintendent for operations and an SRO or law enforcement officer will be present. 2. The system level leader will coordinate the visit to the school with the principal. 3. Upon arriving at the school, the team leader will select, at random, the class(es) to be screened. Walk-through or hand-held scanners similar to the scanners used at airports will be provided and used for scanning purposes. 4. An empty room nearby the classroom will be designated to conduct the screening. The empty room may be a room such a conference room, empty classroom, or office area. 5. Students will, in the presence of a school administrator, enter the screening room individually and be screened by a trained system-level employee. 6. If the machine “beeps,” there is the possibility that a metal object or weapon is present. 7. At that point, trained system personnel will, in the presence of the student, search the student’s belongings to identify the cause of the beep. Female personnel will inspect female belongings, and male personnel will inspect male belongings. Students will empty pockets into a small container and their book bag and/or purse will be searched. 8. Following the screening, students will be asked to provide a written evaluation of the process and any related information that may prove helpful to maintaining school safety. 9. This protocol will be piloted at XYZ School and will be expanded to other middle schools as directed by the Superintendent.

We welcome participation from principals to make this effort part of a “Reporting Is Not Snitching” campaign to encourage the reporting of behavior which may endanger the safety of a student on campus. This “reporting” would be to help someone avoid trouble (violence) rather than “snitching” to “get someone in trouble.” XYZ School System Weapons Screening Guidelines

Guidelines for staff conducting the search 1. Staff will be properly trained on legal searches and on how to use the screening devices. 2. The team leader will coordinate the visit with the principal prior to the search. Testing days or other days the principal feels would be disruptive to the learning environment will be avoided. 3. Do not begin a search that cannot be concluded before the end of that given class period. Making those students late to the next class can have very negative non-intended consequences. 4. If at all possible, have the school SRO or other law enforcement officer present during the search. Remember that they cannot conduct the search unless probable cause is established and there is a real chance that weapons or drugs are present. One school administrator should also be present during the screening. 5. Identify the room that will be used for the screening. This needs to be as private as possible to avoid embarrassing the student searched. Never leave yourself alone with a child you are screening. Have at least one SRO, system personnel, or school personnel with you. Never wand or search the belongings of a student of the opposite sex without the permission of the assistant superintendent of operations or his/her designee. 6. Upon entering the classroom, members of the team should all enter the room. Each team member should be assigned a row to observe while the team leader introduces himself/herself to students (team member 1 observe row 1, member 2 observe row 2, etc…). If a student is in possession of a weapon or illegal items, he/she may try to hide or get rid of it before being screened. Careful observation upon entering the room is important. 7. While weapons screening is a proactive measure some students may have experienced at airports or sporting events, it can still be traumatic for others. Be sensitive to this and take a moment to establish the reason for the search and how it will be done. Read the script provided as an example of what to say. 8. You will be trained on how to use the hand-held weapons screener. This is to be used instead of physically touching/searching the student. Wand the area on their person that beeped. If something in their pockets made the machine beep, ask the student to remove their contents into the plastic bin provided and inspect the contents. Re-wand the student to make sure the cause of the beep was removed. If a purse or book bag caused the beep search the purse/bag in the presence of the student. Report any suspicious items to the school administrator. Refrain from removing personal items that may embarrass the student. 9. After all students are screened, thank the class for their cooperation. Do not make comments on what you did/did not find. Invite them to complete the attached student response form before leaving. Have them individually place the completed form in a large envelope/bag/box provided upon completion to insure their anonimity. 10. Take a moment to debrief immediately after the screening process to complete the screening report and identify needed areas of protocol improvement. XYZ School System Weapons Screening Script (To be read by the team leader upon entering the classroom)

Good afternoon/morning. I am ______and am employed by the XYZ County School System. I am here as part of the school system’s effort to maintain safe schools. These school system employees with me are… (identify all employees). As part of our safe school initiative we go to schools and conduct random security checks. Today, this class was randomly chosen to participate in a weapons screening. This process enables us to use metal detectors to detect metal objects. The detector may beep at any sign of any metal object so do not let it alarm you. But to be safe, we will need to make sure it is not beeping because of the presence of a weapon and will ask your cooperation in inspecting personal belongings.

Remember, this class was chosen at random and no one person is being singled out. It is just like the security you see at airports, the XYZ County Government Center, and many sporting events. We are not here to embarrass anybody and will give you a chance to evaluate the process when we are finished. It is our hope that random safety screenings like these will help draw your attention to the need to report weapons, and decrease the chance that someone might bring a weapon on campus.

Here is how the process will work: A. We will use a nearby empty room to conduct the safety screening. B. We will ask you to enter the scanning room individually where you will be screened using a walk-through scanner or hand-held scanner just like this one (demonstrate on an employee in the room and make it beep by passing over a belt buckle or similar object). C. If the machine “beeps,” there is the possibility that a metal object is present. It may beep at a belt buckle, key chain, or even some necklaces. Don’t be alarmed if that happens. D. If that does happen we will need to make sure it is not beeping because of the presence of a weapon and will ask your cooperation in inspecting personal belongings. We will ask you to empty the contents of your pocket into a small container and will examine your book bag and/or purse in your presence. E. Female personnel will inspect female belongings, and male personnel will inspect male belongings. F. When we are finished we will ask you to provide a written evaluation of the process and any related information that may prove helpful to maintaining school safety. You do not have to put your name on this form unless you want to. We will ask that everyone write something to give us feedback so we can continue to make our schools as safe as possible. Student Safety Response Form

School: ______Class: ______Date: ______

1. What suggestions do you have to improve the screening process?

2. Are you in favor of steps such as weapons screening to keep your school safe? Why or why not?

3. What additional steps would you recommend to keep our schools safe?

4. Is there any information you would like to share that will help improve school safety? XYZ School Weapons Screening Report

School: ______

Date: ______Time screening began: ______

Type of screening device used: Walk-through detector_____ Hand-held detector_____

Location of screening within the building:

Persons conducting the screening: Name Position

______

Evaluation: Dear Parent,

The XYZ County School System has undertaken many initiatives to address school safety. The safety of students is of utmost importance to everyone and we welcome your input as we address this responsibility. Unfortunately, we live in an increasingly violent society and access to weapons provides challenges for anyone interested in maintaining safety in any environment. Children do not always think through the consequences of risky behavior and can make a bad decision such as weapons possession that compromises the safety of others. In some instances, students have brought weapons simply for show, not realizing they are putting their educational future at risk.

Implementation of School Safety Training and First Responder Training has already made a difference in our schools. Installation of new surveillance cameras in every school and in every bus will also help to maintain a safe environment. This letter is to let you know about another initiative that we have begun. It comes about after discussions with parents, research into the topic, and application of practical steps to increase school safety.

We all want students to take the stand to report possession of drugs or weapons in any venue. While this is the ideal, students deal with peer pressure in many ways and some may be afraid to report such behavior. For that reason, we will conduct random metal detector searches similar to those used in airports, the XYZ County Government Center, and special events. A walk-through metal detector and/or wand search is a non-invasive means of looking for weapons. Most importantly, it raises awareness of the need to report weapons and hopefully reduces the temptation to bring a weapon on campus.

As we begin this process, I will personally conduct the process and will train the team of school system personnel who will assist. A school resource officer or law enforcement officer will be asked to observe. While the emphasis is school safety, emphasis will also be placed on not creating an embarrassing situation for any student. When we are finished we will ask students to provide a written evaluation of the process and any related information that may prove helpful to maintaining school safety. Again, extra effort will be made to not embarrass or scare anyone, and we welcome your feedback as we move forward.

Please talk to your child about this process and about school safety. Safety is a partnership and we want them to understand that we need their cooperation and participation to maintain a safe environment. Please contact your child’s principal should you have questions, concerns, or suggestions. Thank you for supporting this step forward in reaching our goal to provide a safe and secure learning environment.

Sincerely,

John Doe XYZ County School System Dear Parent,

The XYZ County School System has undertaken many initiatives to address school safety. The safety of students is of utmost importance to everyone and we welcome your input as we address this responsibility. Unfortunately, we live in an increasingly violent society and access to weapons provides challenges for anyone interested in maintaining safety in any environment. Children do not always think through the consequences of risky behavior and can make a bad decision such as weapons possession that compromises the safety of others. In some instances, students have brought weapons simply for show, not realizing they are putting their educational future at risk.

Implementation of School Safety Training and First Responder Training has already made a difference in our schools. Installation of new surveillance cameras in every school and in every bus will also help to maintain a safe environment. This letter is to let you know about another initiative that began in your child’s class today. It comes about after discussions with parents, research into the topic, and application of practical steps to increase school safety.

We all want students to take the stand to report possession of drugs or weapons in any venue. While this is the ideal, students deal with peer pressure in many ways and some may be afraid to report such behavior. For that reason, we will conduct random metal detector searches similar to those used in airports, the XYZ County Government Center, and special events. A walk-through metal detector and/or wand search is a non-invasive means of looking for weapons. Most importantly, it raises awareness of the need to report weapons and hopefully reduces the temptation to bring a weapon on campus.

As we begin this process, I will personally conduct the process and will train the team of school system personnel who will assist. A school resource officer or law enforcement officer will be asked to observe. While the emphasis is school safety, emphasis will also be placed on not creating an embarrassing situation for any student. When we are finished we will ask students to provide a written evaluation of the process and any related information that may prove helpful to maintaining school safety. Again, extra effort will be made to not embarrass or scare anyone, and we welcome your feedback as we move forward.

Please talk to your child about this process and about school safety. Safety is a partnership and we want them to understand that we need their cooperation and participation to maintain a safe environment. Please contact your child’s principal should you have questions, concerns, or suggestions. Thank you for supporting this step forward in reaching our goal to provide a safe and secure learning environment.

Sincerely,

John Doe XYZ County School System