There are numerous inquiries about metal detectors and school safety measures all year long, and usually they pick up after incidents of school violence that are heavily covered by the media.
We get several questions about metal detectors:
- Are they effective?
- Is it a necessary addition to a school?
- Are they needed to ensure and improve school safety?
All of these questions really depend on your school’s situation. Not every school district is the same. There are a lot of schools across the United States that do not use metal detectors and a vast majority of these schools never experience the horrific acts of violence such as Columbine or Sandy Hook.
I think we all agree that violence has no place at a school, and if we lived in a perfect world, there wouldn’t be any violence in schools at all. But the sad reality is that there are evil people out there that will do bad things.
The risk for a school like Sandy Hook Elementary was very low. You’re not expecting an elementary-aged child to wield a gun to commit a mass murder. You’re also not expecting a 20-year-old to walk into an elementary school to shoot children, either. A metal detector most likely would not have saved Sandy Hook Elementary as there were reports that he shot his way into the school.
The best way to prevent mass casualties in school shootings is to follow protocol to save lives. Training teachers and school personnel to properly handle school shootings would be more effective than installing a metal detector. If anything, having a security system that can either lock doors or give information to teachers and working personnel has shown to be more effective to save lives.
Back in 2009, The NYCLU released a report detailing that it was better for school districts to offer student safety officers “who employ conflict resolution techniques, such as fairness counsels, where both students and teachers discuss infractions and how to deal with them.”
If you have further questions about metal detectors and whether or not your school is need of one, we ask that you give us a call at (888) 533-7508 or (262) 522-1870. We will be happy to answer any questions you have and point you in the direction of a security solution that will bring your school district peace of mind.