Farmington schools use gun detectors to increase security

FARMINGTON — Greg Pair, assistant principal at Farmington Junior High, stands at a gun detection gate every morning as he greets students as they arrive at school.

Middle school students, as well as students at Farmington’s high school and alternative school, Cardinal Academy, will now have to go through a weapon detection system before entering the buildings. The new policy also applies to employees and visitors entering the buildings.

The school board voted at its Aug. 26 meeting to purchase a system called OpenGate for three buildings. The purchase included four units, and school administrators recommended the OpenGate system because it is mobile and can be used for various events such as ball games and graduation ceremonies.

The high school consists of two units, the others being in the junior high school and Cardinal Academy.

Pair said all district staff were first trained on the system and then the elementary school held an assembly to inform students about it. The unit was set up and middle school students were given the opportunity to walk through the gate and see how it worked. The system came into force at the end of October.

“I like it,” Pair said. “I think this is a good initiative. Our number one goal is safety and we want every child to feel safe here.”

Pair said the gun detection gates allow schools to be on the front lines.

He said some students may have been a little anxious at first walking through the gate, but now it’s a normal part of their day.

“The more I talk to students, the more I feel like they appreciate it,” he added.

Two ninth graders think the systems are a good idea.

“I think it’s better because of the school shootings,” Blakelee Smith said.

Savannah Kephart said she believes it makes some students feel safer, but for others it is nerve-wracking.

“Metal detectors can be scary,” Kephart said.

The students said they discovered that the system can display warnings for strange objects like a fork or a can of dry shampoo.

Pair said the school has the ability to determine the level of detection.

“If we wanted, we could find a paper clip,” he said.

Staff tested many different elements to determine which level of detection should be used. The system determines the amount of metal in a given room, he said. For example, a 1-inch folder will not trigger an alarm, but a 3-inch folder will trigger an alert. Some water bottles trigger an alarm, others don’t. Chromebooks, computers, and many musical instruments trigger a system alert.

When the system sounds, Pair said he can hold the item and let the student go through it again. When the system triggers an alarm due to an instrument or backpack, Pair opens the case or allows the student to look through the backpack.

“We can narrow it down pretty quickly now,” he said.

Visitors entering the building will be notified by Pair or other office staff if an alarm is triggered when someone walks through the gate. If the system fails, the individual will be asked to wait for a staff member to enter the foyer area before unlocking the door to allow the visitor to enter the school office.