Wicomico County superintendent says a weapon was brought to Parkside; board to consider expanding weapons-detection systems

Superintendent Marcus Stauffer told the Wicomico County Board of Education that district officials are "extremely concerned about the weapon being brought to Parkside last Wednesday" and that the incident was handled quietly by school staff and the school resource officer.

Stauffer said there was "no disruption to school" and credited Parkside administration and the SRO for ensuring "students and staff were safe." He said the district has already added security measures over recent years — including door buzzer systems, campus patrol and expanded school resource deputies — and has acquired weapons-detection hardware for targeted use at large events and at principals' discretion.

"We've actually acquired 11 weapons detection systems," Stauffer said, adding that the devices are not currently in daily use systemwide because of school size and staffing constraints but have been used at graduations and athletic events.

Stauffer told the board he will bring a detailed plan to a work session later this month to propose where additional weapons-detection devices are needed, the staffing required to operate them, and the training necessary for implementation across the district's secondary schools. The work session, he said, will include local officials and the county executive as appropriate.

The superintendent framed the proposal as an effort to "expedite" work the district has been doing on security, not as a replacement for other safety measures. He did not provide a timetable for systemwide daily screening or a final cost total at the meeting.

The board did not take formal action on the proposal at the meeting; Stauffer said the work session would be used to develop recommendations for the board's consideration.