One week after a student at Southeast High was arrested for having a gun on campus, District 186 is one week closer to having weapons-detection systems installed in schools.
Metal detectors would appear first in high schools as soon as a month from now and later in middle schools, many of which are currently undergoing major renovations.
Reaction to the systems has been mostly positive, according to Geneice Thompson, the school board’s student liaison and a senior at Lanphier High—where, not quite four months ago, a classmate of hers was stabbed to death.
Thompson led a cohort of students to meet via ZOOM with their counterparts from Champaign-area high schools where metal detectors have been in place for about three months.
“I definitely feel they think it was the right decision to make,” Thompson said. “They feel safer now that they have them, and they think it was a great idea.”
Still, not all parents are sold. Two public commenters at Tuesday’s board meeting voiced concerns, including that “doing something doesn’t mean doing the right thing” and suggesting the District may only be throwing money at the problem.
Adam Cook, parent to a district student, wants to see data or some kind of proof metal detectors work to curb school violence.
Another speaker—a student at Southeast—spoke up in favor of metal detectors saying, “I don’t feel safe at school.”
The District 186 School Board is expected to vote on weapons-detection systems at its next meeting, March 21st.