Harford County Public Schools will begin using new weapons detection systems “as needed” with no current plan to require students to pass through them upon entering school each day.

The school systems has 11 Opengate weapons detection systems “stored” at high schools and they will primarily be used as security measures for high school sporting events and other school- events, and not on a daily basis in schools, according to communications specialist Kyle Anderson.

The system uses two mobile 6-foot posts with green and red lights on top. Opengate can process hundreds of people within 30 minutes and is billed as a non-invasive and highly efficient security measure. The technology eliminates the potential for false alarms caused by things such as metal on a three-ring binder or cellphones through the use of enhanced, modern metal detection.

All students and visitors of any age will be required to go through the Opengate system upon entering participating schools for events, however Anderson said the systems are not a “permanent solution.” Trained staff members will follow “specific steps” if Opengate signals a detection, the school system’s Manager of Communications Jillian Lader said.

As additional funding becomes available, Lader said the district will expand its security enhancements.

Implementation of Opengate follows a push from parents, students and staff for enhanced school security after a fatal September shooting at Joppatowne High School. A petition started by Harford parent Marcus Custer advocating for clear backpacks and weapons detection systems in schools has gained more than 4,280 signatures.

Amid the community’s push for safer schools, Harford County Board of Education members and other school officials began evaluating weapons detection systems and other security enhancements by touring local system manufacturers and consulting with school districts across the country who have used similar measures.

“Whenever something bad happens at a school, you have to take a more comprehensive look at how to not only prevent a shooting at Joppatowne, but how we prevent violence across all of our schools,” school board president Aaron Poynton said in October. “This is part of our commitment to take a comprehensive look at everything to ensure we are making the best decisions for student safety.”

Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly allocated an additional $1.1 million to the school system to cover the cost of security upgrades, which Anderson said partly funded the purchase of the system’s 11 Opengate systems. Anderson did not immediately have an answer on how much the systems cost in total.

In October and November weapons detection systems were piloted at two Harford schools and a number of demonstrations were held for school officials to learn more about which detection system would best serve Harford schools.

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