CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Weapons detectors are available to Harrison County Schools this year.
Harrison County School Superintendent Dora Stutler said a group from her county visited Monongalia County Schools where the system has been in place before allocating a $15,000 safety grant for the equipment and training.
“Of course you want to check it out,” Stutler said recently on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.” “We wanted something that was noninvasive for our kids and something that could be part of the regular routine in the morning.”
The system, which includes two poles with lights at the top, is currently being used at Harrison County’s alternative high school, United High School. Stutler said it’s been met with positive reviews.
The systems offer flexibility that Stutler believes makes them a deterrent.
“We can move them if we need to,” Stutler said. “They can be used at big events like if you have a ballgame or if you get a call that there is a threat of a gun being brought to school you can set them up.”
Staff that are trained on the state-of-the-art detectors can adjust the sensitivity to pick up something as simple as a paper clip depending on the application.
“You can adjust those to only pick up the dense metal in guns and to detect a gun, it’s pretty fascinating,” Stutler said. “If you don’t want to pick up all the other things that kids may have in their pockets then you can adjust them so you’re not stopping the line.”
Stutler hopes parents understand the detectors and Prevention Resource Officer program are proactive in maintaining a peaceful learning environment.
“I would hope that our parents appreciate that we’re being vigilant with it and making sure the kids are being safe coming through,” Stutler said. “But, we still want them to have a normal day in school, so it’s kind of a fine line.”