Allentown School District revamps safety approach amid changing leadership: Weapons detectors installed, mental health supports increased
Morning CallApr 11, 2024
Starting
Allentown
In the midst of the implementation of these detectors,
The detectors find guns, knives, bombs and other weapons based on the density of the object; they aren’t metal detectors.
Each machine consists of two gray poles stationed parallel to each other. The tops of the poles light up green when people pass through if no weapons are detected. If the system is triggered, the poles light up red and beep, alerting security of a potential weapon on the person.
Upon entering school in the mornings, students will pass their laptops around the machines because the spines of the computers falsely trigger the detectors. Students can walk through with their backpacks and cellphones.
After a safety forum last Thursday,
If a student walks through the detector and the system is triggered, staff would have the student walk through the detector again without their backpack on. This would help security determine whether the item that triggered the detector is on the student’s person or in their backpack.
If security determines a potential weapon is in the backpack, it would be searched. If officers determine the item of concern is on the student’s person, they would use a handheld wand detector to scan the student.
The wand doesn’t touch the student in this instance and could help officers determine if an item other than a weapon is triggering the system, such as jewelry or a belt buckle. (The system is not likely to be falsely triggered by these items, Clay said, but staff still would investigate as a precaution.)
If the wand is used on a student and it is still detecting a potential weapon, then a search of the student may be authorized by an administrator. All searches will be conducted by a staff member of the same gender as the student in question.
This process applies to anyone who enters the building and triggers the system, not just students.
If safety officers find a weapon while searching a backpack or a person, Allentown police would be called to dispose of the weapon and next steps would be handled by the school’s administration. If safety officers do not find a weapon, but find another item that is against the district handbook’s guidelines, the district’s standard disciplinary process would be followed.
Clay, who is also a safety officer at Allen, said staff initially was concerned about how quickly students would be able to move through the machines in the morning, but “the training made it a lot easier to understand and know what was going on.”
He said Allen officers will see what works and what doesn’t in coming weeks as it relates to the detectors. They will track how quickly students enter the school in the mornings. This information will help with implementation of the machines at the district’s other two high schools in coming weeks.
Parents, students and community members were allowed to walk through the detectors as part of a demonstration at the recent safety forum. Participants could carry a test piece through the machines that triggers the same response as when a weapon is found; security also offered to scan participants with the handheld wand to see how it works.
Martinez, who is the parent of an Allen student, said she was hesitant about the detectors at first, noting she was concerned about how searches would work.
“I had questions about it, of course, as any parent would. How is it going to be handled if it does go off?” she said.
But after seeing the demonstration and learning more about the process, Martinez said the detectors put her “more at ease,” knowing her child is safe during the school day.
Vargas said she is happy the district is installing the detectors. She said the machines are not intimidating.
“Now that we’re actually here and we can see it and touch it and go through it, it was super noninvasive,” she said. “I was able to go with all my stuff and not take anything off.”
Birks said the weapons detection systems are part of a multitiered safety approach the district is taking.
ASD was awarded
Vape detection systems, activated in schools in November, are also part of the district’s anti-violence strategy. These sensors detect “aggression” by measuring vibration — for instance, student fights in a bathroom — and help staff identify safety incidents.
Additionally, mental health supports will also be essential to the district’s safety strategy, Birks said.
The district recently hired three social workers, bringing the district total to eight.
School directors also approved two digital health platforms in February to ensure the physical and mental well-being of students and families. Birks encouraged the ASD community at the safety forum to use these free resources.
School directors approved the renewal of the Counslr mobile app for
Counslr provides students with unlimited live text support from licensed mental health counselors 24/7. Counslr is available in English and Spanish. If necessary, counselors can provide students with resources, make referrals for long-term support and alert the district if a student is experiencing a crisis.
Starting in May, all students and parents can also use
“As we look at safety, it’s a multitiered approach,” Birks said. “It’s not just about the technical machine that we purchased or the cameras, but we’re also working on developing the whole child.”
Morning Call reporter
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