Upper Darby officials present $1.16 million weapon-detection proposal for three secondary schools; public responses split

The Upper Darby School District on Sept. 24 presented a plan to install AI-based weapon-detection systems at its three secondary schools — Upper Darby High School, Drexel Hill Middle School and Beverly Hills Middle School — at a projected four-year cost of about $1,163,000, with equipment and staffing details and public concerns discussed at a joint Education & Pupil Services and Finance & Operations Committee meeting.

Superintendent Doctor McGarry opened the presentation by saying the district asked administration to review the technology after incidents on the high school campus on Sept. 3 and Sept. 13. “Implementing a weapon detection system will act as another security measure that will serve to reduce the likelihood of a weapon in our secondary schools,” McGarry said, adding that the review begins on slide 20 of the district’s packet and that the district would continue other safety and supportive services regardless of the board’s decision.

The proposal focuses on an AI-driven system (not a conventional metal detector) that highlights a small area on a person’s body it deems suspicious. Administrators said the district expects about a 10% alert rate initially—largely driven by compliant students carrying everyday metal such as Chromebooks, three-ring binders, keys or eyeglasses—and estimated roughly 400–600 daily searches at the high school until compliance improves. McGarry said one lane of the system can “approximately process 2,000 individuals in about 15 to 20 minutes” under ideal conditions, and administrators acknowledged implementation would slow morning entry during the first weeks.

Nut graf: The district presented specific equipment, staffing and cost estimates and said it would…