KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo Public Schools trustees have authorized the use of weapons detectors for daily use in high schools and middle schools, beginning this fall.
The school district already uses detectors at sports and other events. The unanimous vote will mean that when students appear for class, they will go through the detectors as they enter the building.
Assistant superintendent Rikki Saunders says “In light of growing concerns about school safety and the national rise of incidents of the use of weapons on school campuses, Kalamazoo Public Schools must continue to take proactive steps to ensure the safety and the well-being of students staff and visitors.”
Superintendent Dr. Darrin Slade says these modern detectors use artificial intelligence, to quickly and non-intrusively screen for weapons, like the kind used these days at concerts and other public events.
Slade has been talking about expanding their use for a year and a half, holding staff and public meetings to get public input.
He says he expected more opposition, but there was very little.
Trustees Patti Sholler-Barber and Carol McGlinn says improving student safety is their top priority.
Both said that improving gun safety laws would also help.
Kalamazoo Public Schools is the first district in the county to approve daily use.
The cost of the detectors is around $170,000, much of it covered by federal and other grants.
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