The district will begin testing a walk-through weapon detection system by Dec. 2, and random morning bag checks will continue until then.
Dr. David Glasner, superintendent, informed staff, families and students of the plan in an Oct. 23 email message. “This pilot will provide us an opportunity to test how well the system works, what challenges it poses for students and staff, and if its use might be applicable to other schools and events,” he said.
According to the email, administrators are evaluating systems used in other districts “and will be visiting neighboring school districts to observe these systems in action.”
According to Glasner’s message, the high school needs this system to face “an evolving and complex set of threats and security challenges.” The district “is not immune from the challenge” of balancing safety with a sense of welcome for students.
Security screenings before school began in September, after a tip led police to search and arrest an SHHS student who was carrying a gun and attempting to enter the Sept. 13 Shaker vs. Euclid High School football game at Russell H. Rupp Field. Another former student was caught with a knife after turning away from the entry point, where metal detecting wands were in use.
Until the pilot system is installed, bag checks will continue to happen on randomly-chosen mornings as students enter the building. “We will do them on random days once or twice or three times a week,” said Principal Eric Juli, who advocated for a weapons detection system.
Science teacher William Scanlon said bag checks interfere with students’ education. “It’s not fair for the kids,” Scanlon said. He said he never has full attendance in his first class of the day until at least 8:45 a.m. on days when there are bag checks.
“Let’s get metal detectors,” he said.
Spanish teacher Amy Fogerty also faces such challenges with her first-period class. Lots of kids are missing on bag check days, she said; five of 19 students were in her class Oct. 22 when the bell rang. As a result, she flipped her plan for the class so students who were there could start with homework. She then presented the lesson at 8:40 a.m., when more students had arrived. However, when she started, students were still missing.
Junior Leah Reymann calls the bag checks “anxiety-inducing” due to the unevenness of the searching. Some staff examine every pocket in a bag, while others rummage for a few seconds and return it, she said.
Freshman Eleanor Turturici, who walks to school, said that bag checks make her late even if she gets there on time. “I get the idea, but the execution is not good,” said Turturici, who leaves for school around 7:55 a.m. arrives around 8:05 a.m. “I arrive late on days when there are bag checks,” she said.
There have been few bag checks of late. Weather is the reason for the big gap, Juli said. “Our intent is to keep everybody safe,” said Juli. “It’s not to make everybody miserable.”
