LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio plans to present a proposal to install weapons detectors at middle and high schools. Naomi Hall, who has four kids in JCPS, said she has been paying attention to this conversation, and would like to see weapons detectors in schools.
“Kids should be able to go to school, learn, spend time with friends and do what children do,” Hall said.
However, she said her kids have questions about school safety when they hear news of mass shootings.
“My kids every once in a while will come home, and when they hear about a school shooting, they are worried. They’re tired of hearing about it, but they want to see something being done,” Hall said.
At a board meeting in February, board member Corrie Shull brought forth a motion asking Dr. Pollio to give a presentation about bringing weapons detectors to all district middle and high schools at the April 25 board meeting.
His motion also called for the creation of a school safety task force. Shull said he would like the task force to study use of metal detectors and ensure best practices.
“We don’t need to be criminalizing kids. We need guns out of our school buildings,” Shull said.
All board members approved the motion, except Chris Kolb.
“Criminalization of Black children will happen because it’s happened everywhere it’s been installed,” said Kolb.
Diane Porter said board members had been receiving emails from students wanting to see action on school safety.
“Doing nothing will get us nothing. A child’s life and a staff person’s life has no dollar signs on it. The Board is responsible for providing a safe learning environment,” said Porter.
Speaking at that board meeting in February, Dr. Pollio said money would not be the challenge with this.
“The cost is not the concern. We can implement it with the finances that we currently have. It would probably be about a $5 million cost,” said Pollio.
Dr. Pollio said JCPS would need three to five weapons detectors at every middle school and five to 10 at every high school.
“We will need 8-10 trained personnel at every school to implement this for multiple hours a day. That is going to be a major challenge with our staffing crisis right now. I am not saying we cannot do it. I am saying it will be a heavy, heavy burden to have 8-10 people every day, whether there are absences or sicknesses or anything of that nature,” said Dr. Pollio.
Dr. Pollio said the second challenge is due to not having police officers in school buildings.
“This board voted not to have police officers in buildings in 2019. In order to successfully have searches of backpacks, if weapons detectors go off, we will need to have police officers available. Right now, those resources are not available to us,” said Dr. Pollio.
Hall said, as a parent, she hopes JCPS will figure out a way to make it work.
“It’s sad we have to go that way, but at the same time, anything that protects our children is a step in the right direction,” said Hall.
Dr. Pollio is expected to present about the weapons detector proposal during the Tuesday, April 25 board meeting. That takes place at 6 p.m. at the VanHoose Education Center.