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Tangipahoa committee approves seven metal detectors for Heman High after board seeks procurement checks
Summary
The Capital Outlay Committee approved purchase of seven metal detectors for Heman High using small capital outlay funds, with members asking the administration to double‑check pricing and vendor comparables before December.
The Tangipahoa Parish Capital Outlay Committee on [date not specified] approved the purchase of seven metal detectors for Heman High, authorizing the school to use small capital outlay funds while asking staff to verify pricing and procurement comparables.
Mister Michael Kyles, who attended the meeting to describe the request, said the units proposed would match existing detectors the district already uses and would be configured as paired walk‑through stations "so they could just walk straight through" and speed intake for the roughly 1,600 students Kyles said the campus processes each morning. "These are seven metal detectors to be purchased at a small capital outlay," Kyles said.
Board members pressed for fiscal caution. One member noted the wide range of available equipment and prices — "I've looked today from $2,500 a unit to a $100,000 a unit" — and questioned the sole‑source explanation in the packet. A separate board member proposed an amendment to cap the expenditure at $115,500 pending an expert review by a purchaser or the sheriff's office to confirm the vendor and suitability.
Administration said earlier purchases were partly funded through grant/title funds and that the new units requested were intended to match the equipment already in place. Materials provided to the committee listed a delivery timeline of about "2 to 4 weeks." The motion as presented, with the board's instruction to double‑check procurement details before December, passed on a roll call vote.
The approval allows the school to proceed with small capital outlay procurement but leaves a condition that staff verify pricing, vendor patent/sole‑source claims and, if practicable, arrange a demonstration or peer review of the equipment before the purchase is finalized.
Next steps: Administration will follow up on procurement comparables and expert review as requested by the board; the committee recorded that it expects that verification to be completed before December.
