Asheville City Schools approves portable security screening contract over one dissent

Asheville City Schools on Thursday approved a contract to purchase portable walk-through security screening equipment to be used at large events and some secondary campuses, with one board member opposed.

Board members approved the contract after district staff said the purchase is funded by a state grant and must be in the district's possession by June 30 to meet grant requirements. April Dockery, a district staff member who presented the item, told the board, "we are using grant money to secure this, we have to procure the equipment, which means we have to not only purchase it, but have it in our possession by the June 30 date." The board approved the motion to contract with the vendor identified in the proposal; one member voted no.

Why it matters: The district has long discussed screening options for safety; the units would be portable so they can be used at graduations, sporting events and other large gatherings. Dockery said the chosen portable units weigh about 50 pounds each, can run on battery backup or a hard-wired power source and are designed for rapid throughput compared with hand-held wands. Board members asked whether students would be required to pass through the devices during the school day; Dockery said, "Not currently, no," and that student screening at campuses is being discussed by the district safety council.

Details and debate: Board members pressed staff on several practical and community questions. One member asked, "What is the harm of waiting until our regular board meeting where we normally take action to vote on this?" citing the short notice to vote in a work session. Dockery said procurement and delivery timing tied to the grant deadline drove the request for the earlier vote.

Several members raised concerns about optics: one board member asked why the district would spend grant-funded equipment when the district is simultaneously discussing personnel reductions. Dockery responded that the grant was written specifically for equipment and not for personnel, and that no local funds would be used for the purchase. Another member noted the contract lists an annual maintenance fee of $10,500 and asked whether the 50% discount shown in the paperwork was real; Dockery said staff negotiated pricing and had support from district technology staff and local partners.

How the devices would be used: Dockery said the district intends to start with portable units for large events and to make them available to secondary campuses as principals request them. She described graduation last year as an example: a sheriff's department unit was used and processing about 4,000 guests by wanding took 90 minutes and delayed the ceremony by about 15 minutes; staff said the portable units should speed entry. Dockery said previous requests from alternative program leadership and student listening sessions had driven interest in a walk-through device as an alternative to wanding.

Votes at a glance: The board recorded a vote on this contract; meeting audio indicates "one opposed and otherwise the ayes have it." The meeting transcript does not list individual vote names for this motion. The board also handled several policy and procurement items during the same session (see separate articles).

Next steps: The contract was approved and staff will proceed with the purchase and scheduling of units for events. Staff said they will continue conversations at the district safety council about whether and where student screening will be used during school hours.

Sources: Statements and answers by April Dockery and exchanges with board members during the Asheville City Schools work session.