Berwick Area SD explores metal detector purchases, board says policy needed before deployment

The Berwick Area School District board on Monday discussed exploring the purchase of metal detectors for the district’s four buildings and said a formal policy would be required before the machines could be deployed.

District staff told the board they were obtaining quotes for “open gate” metal detectors and that, should the board decide to move forward, a policy addressing use of the devices would be brought back for formal consideration. “If we do move forward, we will need to have a policy that addresses metal detectors,” a district presenter said during the meeting.

The discussion followed an executive session described by the board as having included a security topic. Board leaders said that because metal detectors had been part of that executive-session discussion, the item was being presented to the full board for awareness and potential placement on the November agenda; no vote was taken Monday.

During public comment, resident Patricia Laurie urged the board to hold a “thorough discussion” of any security policies and questioned how the policy item came to be placed on the agenda. “I did not see a public meeting of the policy committee advertised anywhere,” Laurie said, asking who serves on the committee and whether the committee met in public to consider the item.

Laurie also asked the board to improve accessibility for attendees with hearing loss, noting that some board members were not using available microphones and that seating made it difficult for attendees to hear. The board acknowledged the concern and the presenter said the security item was a reason the metal detector topic was on the agenda for initial review.

Board members and staff framed the discussion as preliminary. The district said the item would return in November if the board wanted to consider policy language or a procurement decision.

The board did take a separate, later vote to approve a sole-source purchase for a safety product (recorded elsewhere on the agenda), but meeting materials and public comment made clear no deployment decision on metal detectors was made in Monday’s public session.

Community members at the meeting also expressed concern that policies touching student safety should be considered in public committee meetings before full-board action. The district indicated it would provide additional information in a future meeting, including policy language if the board decides to proceed.