On First Day Of Metal Detectors, Most Alexandria High Students Screened Within 75 Minutes

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Metal detector technology to screen for weapons launched at Alexandria high schools and middle schools this week, and it created a long wait for students at one campus.

The weapons screening pilot program first launched at Alexandria High School's King Street campus, which hosts the majority of the high school population above grade nine. Several students shared photos and videos on social media showing the line to get in the school stretched around the school entrance.

Most students were screened and able to enter the school within one hour and 15 minutes, according to Alicia Hart, the chief of facilities and operations for Alexandria City Public Schools. That didn't include any late arrival students.

Hart said adjustments to the screening process can be expected, similar to when the student ID process was launched at the start of the school year.

"As we anticipated, with any new process, adjustments and revamping may take place as we refine the process," Hart said in a statement. "As an example, we had a similar experience with lines when we launched the student ID process this past fall. Within a few weeks, the process improved and the length of time to get through the ID process diminished."

Items that cause false alerts in the screening equipment may cause holdups in the screening lines. Hart told families in a letter that an eyeglass cases lined with metal, certain umbrellas and large three-ring binders may cause the equipment to raise false alerts.

Students were asked to remove these items from their belongings before walking through the screening equipment.

Anyone who gets an alert from the screening equipment has to go through an additional search. Those who do not get alerts can proceed into the school.

To help make the process more efficient, ACPS bus drivers are reminding students to remove certain items before exiting the bus. Students will not need to remove items like cell phones, coins, ear pods, spiral notebooks, keys, wallets and lunch containers.

"We would like to thank all of the students for their patience and grace [Monday] as we introduced this process," Hart told families in a letter. "We would also like to thank families for your understanding as we continue to work through the process and logistics of this system. Lastly, we would like to thank staff for supporting the screening process [Monday]. The end goal is a smooth, seamless process for students while reducing the likelihood of weapons in our facilities."

The high school's King Street campus introduced the weapons screening, followed by the Minnie Howard campus on Tuesday, George Washington Middle School on Wednesday, Francis C. Hammond Middle School on Thursday and the high school's Chance for Change campus on Monday, May 22.

The Alexandria City School Board approved the weapons screening pilot program in March for middle and high school campuses. The action came as the school district grapples with school safety on and off campus. Before the pilot program was approved, a student with a gun at the high school's Minnie Howard Campus was charged with gun possession on school property in early March, according to the Washington Post.

A majority of respondents in a public survey with 4,374 responses supported weapons screening in schools. Support for weapons screening in schools was higher among parents and guardians than among students.

ACPS staff could return to the School Board with data on the pilot program early next school year to determine next steps.