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Board accepts $175,000 Safer Schools grant to buy 9 open-gate weapon-detection units for middle schools
Summary
The board accepted a state safety grant and authorized using $175,000 toward 9 open-gate weapon-detection systems for middle schools; staff said the devices are faster to operate than traditional metal detectors and estimated a full fleet would cost $1.8–2.0 million.
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education on April 8 unanimously approved accepting and appropriating $175,000 awarded through the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools safety grant to buy open-gate weapon-detection systems for middle schools.
Jonathan Wilson, the district’s chief security and emergency management officer, told the board the district requested the maximum allowable $500,000 this year but was awarded $175,000. He recommended using the grant to purchase nine open-gate systems for nine middle schools and to buy necessary batteries and spare parts.
Wilson said the district has piloted “open gate” systems at several high schools and four middle schools after initially deploying eight devices; the new purchase would bring the fleet to about 22 devices. He told the board open gates are faster for daily entry than traditional metal detectors and are lighter and less prone to breakage. Wilson estimated a program to equip every school the way the district prefers would cost roughly $1.8 million to $2.0 million; he said the district could build out a fleet over time. Wilson also said the Milwaukee rechargeable batteries used by the devices are inexpensive and that Wake Forest and other local users of the systems reported few maintenance problems if the equipment is well maintained.
Board members asked implementation questions. Board Member Brown Gaither asked whether existing open gates were being used daily; Wilson replied that open gates are deployed on a rotating pilot schedule and are in daily use at high schools as they rotate into new schools, while traditional metal detectors are used for randomized searches and safe-entry events where daily scanning would create backlogs. Wilson and other staff said volunteers could assist with crowd management but should not be asked to search student bags; school staff and district security handle searches.
Wilson said the grant funds must be spent by June. Board Member Barr reiterated that equipping all schools with open gates should be a priority and said he would consider using fund balance if the board wanted to accelerate purchase of a full fleet. The board voted to accept the grant funds unanimously; the motion was moved by Board Member Barr and seconded by Board Member Miller.
The board also approved a separate FY2025 budget amendment (motion passed unanimously) and several facilities contracts later in the meeting that staff said will not affect the grant purchase.
The appropriation authorizes procurement staff to begin purchasing the nine systems and supporting equipment; staff will provide the board an update on expenses and deployment timing.
