Marion schools approve $400,000 purchase of Open Gate weapons-detection systems for high schools
Summary
The Marion County School Board approved a roughly $400,000 purchase of 19 Open Gate weapons-detection systems for high schools and event use; district staff said units will be tuned to limit false alarms and will be rolled out with training for staff and students.
The Marion County School Board on Jan. 27 approved a roughly $400,000 purchase of 19 Open Gate weapons-detection systems intended for the district’s high schools and for use at large events.
Superintendent Dr. Danielle Brewer introduced the item; Safe Schools executive director Mister McFadden told the board the purchase would fund two systems per high school and two additional units assigned to the Safe Schools team for deployment at other campuses and large events. “We’re asking for approval tonight of a $400,000 purchase of these 19 systems that will be utilized at our local high schools,” Mister McFadden said.
Why it mattered: district staff said the systems are intended to speed and standardize weapons screening at campus entry points for athletic events, graduations and other gatherings, and to provide a deployable resource for incidents requiring mass screening.
Board members asked how the systems would operate day to day and whether students would be delayed entering school. Student board member Luke Lombardo asked, “How will this look from a student perspective as we are entering our campus?” Mister McFadden replied the rollout will include education materials and hands-on training: students will be shown videos or one-page guides before implementation, and staff will manage items that trigger alarms (for example, students will hand large electronics to staff before walking through the gate and reclaim them after screening).
On technical limits and false alarms, McFadden said the district will tune sensitivity to avoid triggering on small metal objects while still detecting weapons. He acknowledged larger items such as laptops and three-ring binders may set off alerts and described a process to handle those items. He also said the district will test multiple configurations for large events like graduation and create multiple screening stations to limit congestion.
Cost and next steps: the board approved purchase and training plans by voice vote (5–0). According to district remarks, the purchase includes vendor-provided training for each school and additional board briefings where the equipment will be demonstrated. Staff said schools will receive implementation guidance before the first operational day.
The board did not vote on deployment locations beyond the general plan; staff said individual schools will receive training and communications for students and families before the systems go into regular use.
