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Caswell board reviews metal-detector policy, stops short of immediate mandate
Summary
Board members debated uniform use, staffing and procedures for metal detectors at all district schools and asked staff to return with a revised policy and implementation plan.
Caswell County Board of Education members spent significant time Tuesday discussing revisions to the district's metal-detector policy and how to operationalize detectors across elementary, middle and high schools.
The board heard a staff recommendation for a policy revision and an accompanying procedure to guide realistic, rights-respecting use of detectors based on resources, scheduled events and reasonable suspicion. The draft would add more specific wording to existing policies (4342 and 5020, as cited in the meeting) and add a non-policy procedure describing signage, staff training, alarm response, periodic equipment checks and communication with families.
Board members pressed staff on several operational points: where detectors should be placed at elementary schools (bus entrances versus front entrances), whether placement should vary by day to avoid predictable patterns, how late arrivals should be screened and what staff will perform screening. Several members emphasized that 'may' language in the draft leaves too much discretion and urged stronger, consistent wording. Others stressed that the reality of staffing constraints means the district may need a flexible approach while the board explores staffing, training and equipment maintenance.
Staff said the team that drafted the guidance included central office staff, principals and safety staff and that the draft aims to balance consistent expectations with the district's available staff. The draft proposes random screening as a default practice, signage at entrances, student-privacy and search-procedure language, staff training, and periodic functionality checks for detectors.
Board members also raised site-specific issues: Oakwood reportedly runs all entrants through a detector at its front door with a TA and an EC resource teacher staffing the station; other elementary schools currently position detectors near bus drop-off, which some members said defeats the intent because visitors enter through the front door. The board discussed athletic events and extracurriculars and asked that athletic-event screening be planned so detectors are available when crowds gather.
No formal policy change was adopted. Board members asked staff to gather additional operational details, including how each school currently deploys detectors, staffing plans to ensure detectors are manned throughout the school day, estimated costs for any additional equipment or staffing, and revised draft text that clarifies whether detector use is mandatory or discretionary. Staff said they will return with more information at a future meeting.
