Taking Security to the Next Level

Students must not wait in morning lines for the rest of the year

The Editorial Board

September 27, 2024

The line of students awaiting bag checks and metal detection by wand Sept. 27 at 8:34 a.m. extends the length of the front parking lot sidewalk. School begins at 8:20 a.m.

We need a permanent solution to the problem of necessary but unsustainable security screenings that have students lining up in front of the school every morning.

Let’s make it clear: We support stricter safety policies, including metal detection. But now that snow, rain and below-freezing temperatures are just around the corner, it is necessary to eliminate the lines.

School psychologist Sagar Patel inspects a student’s backpack outside the high school main entrance Sept. 27 at 8:15 a.m. The screening effort has required the efforts of security monitors, administrators, teachers who have preparation periods and other staff.

The district is wisely employing metal detectors tonight for the homecoming football game to quickly screen attendees without having to manually wand everyone into a 2,600-seat stadium. If this approach can work for football, it can and should work for school. The time is now to implement such technology for daily school use.

It is the opinion of some that a community such as Shaker Heights does not need to employ metal detection in its schools, yet we have had repeated incidents of students possessing weapons, and those students have been disciplined. Fortunately, no one has been shot or stabbed yet. The current security screening approach is a good first step to preventing such a tragedy, but we must have a non-invasive policy that is consistent and doesn’t result in students arriving to class up to 45 minutes late.

Metal detectors are not perfect; they can go off at the wrong time, they can fail to detect an object. However, they are effective at discouraging students from hiding a weapon in their belongings or on their person.

There is also the question of bag checking: No one enjoys watching the staff dig through their belongings, touching their lunch and pulling out personal products. One option is installing X-ray technology, which is common in government buildings, museums and concert venues. Having students put their bags through an X-ray machine would limit the lengthy, intrusive process of checking every bag, every day.

We thank Principal Eric Juli for compelling the district to use metal detection, which we desperately needed; now, Superintendent David Glasner and the Board of Education must quickly adopt a permanent, effective and efficient screening system.