As students, our safety should be the school district and administrators’ number one priority. By including the use of metal detectors at State High, schools can ensure that students continue to remain secure. Due to recent events, the SCASD school district decided it would be smart to implement metal detectors for a while after a recent threat to our school involving harmful weapons that could be, if in possession, found by the metal detectors and not continue further into the building.

 A study found that schools with metal detectors reported decreased weapon carrying among students (7.8%) compared to those without (13.8%). Even a simple safety precaution like this one can greatly reduce the chance of getting harmed.

Sophomore Maame Yeboah feels that implementing these metal detectors will help make the school a safer place.

“I feel like the metal detectors make it easier to ensure that there’s no threats in our school and nobody has weapons or anything that could cause harm to students … I feel like we should get the metal detectors back because I feel like right now it is a somewhat unsafe environment, and nobody knows what could happen,” Yeboah said.

Metal detectors are used simply to prevent weapons from entering the building. With these detectors, there will be plenty of security and a School Resource Officer to prevent us from harm that is necessary to have on campus. These metal detectors can check many students quickly for weapons and any large form of harm and prevent violence right upon entering the building, rather than dealing with the consequences after if something were to happen. 

However, some students don’t feel the need of metal detectors with the systems already in place. Sophomore Kristina Fedkin believes that the metal detectors are unnecessary.

“I feel like our school is already safe. We have so many security guards who are doing great things, and police officers who are also great at their jobs.  We also have a lot of cameras making sure we’re all safe, and we have great procedures to lead us through times that could be dangerous,” Fedkin said.

Giving students and staff the peace of mind is also such an important issue, especially having experienced a potential threat in the past couple of weeks. All these people, as well as parents, would feel safer knowing that there is physical security in place, doing something to promote the safety of our school, and that the school is taking their safety seriously. 

Dr. James MacKenzie, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, on the importance of these metal detectors for students.

“By having metal detectors and security equipment in schools, we are protecting our children … Many, if not most, of my patients are worried about violence at schools. This legislation is a simple precaution that will make our kids feel safer, making it easier for them to learn.” MacKenzie said.

With the metal detectors, it can reduce and discourage the number of students bringing any sort of weapon to school, causing them to worry about being caught. In a study following Security Measures and School Violence it was proven that schools with metal detectors reported fewer incidents of students bringing weapons, especially guns and knives.

Metal detectors can prevent weapons from coming into the building, causing people to feel safer, and discourage students from bringing weapons in the first place. By implementing these detectors back into State High’s daily routine, the safety of students and staff can be put first.