Metal detectors are sometimes looked at by some parents and media as a substantial step toward preventing weapons in schools. But they need to keep in mind that if their schools do implement metal detectors at all schools, many students may still ride school buses. Would school officials somehow provide for metal detection of students before they board each of their school buses on the way to school each morning? (Answer: It is doubtful that any school district could accomplish this task even if it wanted to do so.)

School shootings and violence often occur outside of the school on school grounds. How will the metal detectors be deployed to provide prevent weapons offenses on those areas prior to students entering school? (Answer: Again, it is doubtful that any school district could accomplish this task even if it wanted to do so.)
How much time will be required to get hundreds, and in many cases thousands, of students screened through the metal detectors and into their first classes on time without disrupting educational programs?

How many security professionals will be hired to operate the metal detectors at morning student arrivals? How many will be needed to continue to staff the metal detectors throughout the school day? How many will be needed to staff the metal detectors during after-hours activities and evening events until the building is closed?
What type of training will be provided to employees operating the metal detectors? In addition to orientation training on operating the metal detectors themselves, what type of specialized initial and ongoing training will be provided on recognizing concealed weapons, monitoring for methods that could be used to circumvent the detection systems, etc.? (Note: Security and law enforcement professionals operating metal detectors at airports, courthouses and other locations often receive periodic training updates on news trends, concealed weapons, etc. A one-time orientation alone for school security officials and/or teachers and staff operating metal detectors would be questionable if ever challenged down the road in court.)

Will the school district’s security leaders conduct integrity inspections and tests to evaluate the effectiveness and proper operation of the metal detection program? Will surprise inspections, “undercover” persons with concealed weapons testing the system, and other measures be employed?

Assuming a school decides to operate daily stationary metal detectors at its main entranceway, how will all other doors at the school be secured and staffed to prevent unauthorized entry during student arrival and processing through the main entrance metal detectors?

Will all ground-level windows be permanently secured at all times so no one can pass a weapon through an open window to someone who already passed metal detector screening and is in the building? Would doing so even be allowed by local fire marshals?

Is the school willing to operate the metal detectors on a 24-hour/7-day-a-week basis? Or, as has been done in some districts with metal detector programs, will the detectors only be used at the time of school opening and then shut down later in the morning, missing tardy students and others who come in the school later in the day? Will all school employees also be subject to metal detector screening? Will all parents and other visitors be screened on a regular basis? Will the metal detectors be operated during all after-school activities, evening/night education programs, athletic and activities group practices, athletic events, plays and musical performances, etc? Will individuals participating in any and all community meetings and activities that are operated at the school be screened? [Note: The failure to run a 24/7 metal detection program creates an opportunity for persons to enter the school during non-detection operation times and store weapons in the building, if one would desire to do so. As such, the perceived “guarantee’ of safety that some belief metal detectors would provide in schools is truly a false and misleading perception. They may serve as a risk-reduction tool, when properly deployed, but like any other single strategy cannot offer the ‘guarantee’ that some perceive them to provide.}

Susie, as spam goes, this is actually pretty good.