By: Las Vegas Now Staff
At Wednesday night's meeting, the school district will discuss a new report on school safety. That report says the Clark County School District should get metal detectors but that they'll only work as part of a larger school safety program.
The National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers filed the report after assessing the Clark County School District last month.
The school district has rejected the idea of metal detectors in the past — but may re-visit the issue after recent incidents involving kids with guns near schools.
The principal of Canyon Springs High School has been asking for metal detectors for nearly three years. He says kids have been carrying guns on campus, and he knows first hand after seeing a student shoot a classmate in the neck back in 1990.
Walking through Canyon Springs High School, you see orderly students, clean halls and a top notch magnet program. You don't see the threat of violence Ronan Matthew has seen in his three years as principal here.
“We've had several guns on campus, loaded,” he said.
The 30-year Clark County Schools veteran has been asking for metal detectors — not just to protect his 2,600 students, but for the safety of all students in Clark County. But he says, school system administration wouldn't listen.
“Seems to me that the superintendent doesn't feel that he has the responsibility to listen to people like me that are in the field,” said Principal Matthew.
In the last several years, the number of guns school police confiscated in Clark County schools has fluctuated. From a high of 84 in the 2004-2005 school year, the number of guns police found was cut nearly in half just one year later.
Now we are at a new low, with school police confiscating only 12 guns so far this year. But one is always too many.
“It's disconcerting when you have to take a weapon from a student, and I think one way to stop that is to have metal detectors. The kids have to walk through metal detectors when they're coming into the building,” said Principal Matthew.
Canyon Springs already has a high tech surveillance system, but cameras will only catch a gun after it is already on the campus. Principal Matthew wants to stop students and adults from ever getting them inside.
“I think you have to be proactive. You can't just say 'don't do it' and they follow our directions. That's not how society is anymore,” he said.
Principal Matthew said he wants large, walk-though metal detectors, but the security consultants who assessed Clark County schools last month suggested hand-held wands that can be used discretely in the hallways instead.
As for how much metal detectors cost for each school, the overall cost is something that will be discussed in the meeting. But the report does say the most up-to-date handheld detectors run $100 to $150 each.
Email your comments to Reporter Adrienne Augustus. |
i think that the schools should have metal detectors and that anyone that disagrees have no idea what it is like in the schools and how it is everyone for themselves.
Comment by bob — March 20, 2008 @ 9:06 am