Columbus City Schools said it does not have mandatory daily metal detector screenings at its middle schools after a student brought a firearm to a middle school on Feb. 25.
CCS Spokesperson Mike Brown said that unlike district high schools, which have daily screenings at entry points, district middle schools have metal detectors and other safety devices, “but we do not do mandatory daily entry screenings.”
“Most things we find in middle schools are toys that look like guns, plastic pellet guns, or BB guns,” Brown said. ” An actual handgun coming into a middle school is rare.”
On Feb. 25, Dominion Middle School was placed under lockdown after district security located a firearm in a student’s backpack after a report from a fellow student. The firearm was secured and Columbus police raised the lockdown less than an hour after it began.
Brown said that for middle schools, the district uses security screening tools for rotating weekly spot checks at randomly-assigned middle schools.
“These can be turned on quickly to address an issue or concern or for an event,” Brown said.
At all Columbus City Schools, everyone entering the building is screened with an Evolv detection system.
Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest school district, has a more than $3 million contract with the company, and Evolv’s systems are also in use at Lower.com Stadium, where the Columbus Crew Plays, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Groveport Madison Schools, and other central Ohio school districts.
Brown said that since the district implemented Evolv system in February 2023, the district has had zero gun incidents inside high schools.
“We believe the systems are successfully preventing problems from coming into buildings,” Brown said.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus City Schools do not have daily weapons screenings at middle schools
Reporting by Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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