Upper Darby superintendent outlines safety protocols, to review weapon-detection systems at September committee

Superintendent Daniel McGarry told the Upper Darby School District Board of School Directors on Sept. 10 that the district will review the costs, logistics and community concerns around weapons-detection gates at a September committee meeting, but made clear no decision has been made.

McGarry, speaking at the district's regular meeting, gave a detailed overview of current emergency procedures and the supports the district has added in recent years, saying the board asked administration to “explore weapons detection systems” and bring detailed information back to the committee. “We will be reviewing weapons detection systems from cost to places that we visited,” he said.

The presentation framed those future discussions by describing the district's existing, multi-layered approach to safety: lockout and lock-in procedures, lockdowns that only police can clear, evacuation protocols, a year-old external safety audit, a two-day tabletop exercise this summer with local emergency responders, and a memo of understanding the district maintains with local law enforcement.

McGarry defined the district terms for the public: “A lockout is a procedure where we're trying to keep all threats out of our school,” he said, explaining that a lockout is a school-level action to keep…