Weapon detectors could soon be in Green Bay public high schools, according to a Dec. 8 proposal after months of discussion on school safety measures.
The Green Bay School Board on Dec. 22 will decide whether to approve the pilot program, which would see weapons detection systems at one high school at a time. It’s not clear how long the pilot program would be in place.
Cost is still a question; most weapons detection vendors don’t offer a free pilot program. The Green Bay School District would likely either lease or lease to own weapons detectors during the pilot. Board president James Lyerly said the board would need a cost estimate before that decision was made.
In her presentation recommending the pilot program, Superintendent Vicki Bayer emphasized that weapons detectors were not a solution in themselves, and it would require structural changes.
“There’s a limited scope,” Bayer said. “This is literally only about addressing weapons.”
What would a pilot program look like?
Under the pilot proposal, weapons detectors would rotate between the four major high schools. Bayer said she pictured detectors rotating about every 30 school days, but the district is still looking for feedback from security experts. It’s not clear at this point when the program would start or which school would start the rotation.
At the end of the program, the district would report on how well the program functioned. That report would include information on staff and time required, any backups at the front doors, how effectively and accurately detectors catch weapons and whether it negatively impacts school culture.
Even if the board accepts the pilot proposal, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done before detectors are set up at schools. The district would need a policy governing how weapons detectors are used. It would need to train staff, choose a small number of doors where students can enter or exit and set up arrival procedures.
The cost factor
One major element complicating the board’s decision is the district’s financial situation. Green Bay’s facing a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, which the district recently announced will increase by about $1 million due to a lower special education reimbursement rate than the district budgeted for.
The district also currently pays for several security services, including alarm system Centegix, school resource officers and two safety administrative positions, one of which isn’t yet filled. When Green Bay purchased Centegix and companion hardware Singlewire for $1.8 million in early 2023, that purchase covered five years of district use, but future costs will amount to about $327,000 annually.
The cost wasn’t available at the district’s Dec. 8 meeting, but an estimate will be available before the board makes its decision, Green Bay chief operations officer Cale Pulczinski said.
Bayer said the district may be eligible for grants from the Office of School Safety.
Why is Green Bay considering weapons detectors?
On Sept. 9, a Preble High School student was arrested after officers found a handgun and ammunition in his backpack. The day after, the Green Bay School District notified parents that students would be required to wear clear backpacks to school starting Sept. 22.
About a week after the incident, the district held a roundtable discussion on school safety at Preble. Hundreds of students, parents and community members shared their school safety concerns and recommendations; the School Board received a report on what was shared at its Oct. 13 meeting.
The board decided at that meeting to request more information on weapons detection, rework how behaviors are enforced and keep the door open on a backpack policy that would require students to keep their backpacks in their lockers. It’s had multiple conversations on weapons detection, but only in private.
Now, about two months later, the board is moving the weapons detection conversation forward. It hasn’t discussed student behavior, although the district says that’s still coming, and the proposed backpack policy was tabled until spring.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay School District recommends piloting weapons detectors in high schools
Reporting by Nadia Scharf, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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