PHOENIX — The Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) is working on adding more security layers to its schools.
At last Thursday’s board meeting, the board voted to start a pilot program and use weapons detectors at two of its high schools. A majority of those who spoke during the public comment regarding the weapons detectors were principals within the district who wanted them.
“You're not voting on a machine. You're voting on a promise to keep everyone safe,” said Lorenzo Cabrera, the principal of Franklin Police and Fire High School.
PXU plans to use what’s called the OPENGATE Weapon Detection System with company GXC, Inc. The plan is to start the pilot program later this month and test it for 9-12 weeks in two of its high schools: Maryvale and Bostrom High schools.
The district plans to rent eight to nine sets and put them at the school's entrances. Each set costs about $1,500 per month to rent. If the district eventually buys it, rental costs will be applied to the purchase of the detectors.
According to PXU officials, one set costs about $17,000 to buy. The district said one-time funding will be used for the pilot project.
“Our schools need layers to deter unwelcome behavior to allow us to do amazing things with our students,” said Laura Telles in the school board meeting. Telles is the chief achievement officer for PXU.
The district laid out its goals in using the detectors: reduce the incidents and expulsion numbers related to having firearms on school campuses, increase attendance rates and increase parent, student and staff positive perception of school safety on their campuses.
However, one community member in the board meeting feels the weapons detectors may not work.
“I can think of a dozen ways to get a gun on campus that goes around a detector including just passing it through a fence. The metal detectors will lead to criminalization,” the person said in the meeting.
The system PXU is planning to use is already being used by the Agua Fria Union High School District (AFUHSD). ABC15 spoke with AFUHSD earlier this year when the district started expanding the weapons detectors to other schools.
“Our weapons detectors unfortunately can't stop every crime from happening, but it is one other measure of time we have on our side,” Megan Griego, with AFUHSD, said in April.
Griego recently told ABC15 that the weapons detectors are working.
From July 2021 to January 2023, the district had seven known guns on school campuses. But, from January to May of this year, since the detectors rolled out district-wide, Griego said they’ve had zero known weapons on campuses.
The way the weapons detectors can work, districts can calibrate the detectors for their sensitivity and can detect different types of weapons. Students do have to take out their laptops and metal water bottles before going through the detectors.
PXU plans to pilot the program and compare statistics from the pilot to the previous year at the same high school campuses. The district said it will also compare numbers to similar high school sizes.
The district said it will collect data on how many incidents there are of firearms on campus, incidents of social media posts with pictures of firearms on school grounds, incidents of social media threats against the school communities, attendance rates, tardy rates, survey data from parents, students and staff about safety and culture as well as student arrests and expulsions related to firearms.
“If these weapons detections could help deter that choice, can help make a young teenager think twice before they put something in their backpack or back pocket or anywhere else, and prevent them from facing an expulsion and really ruining their educational career, then this weapons detections system is worth it,” said Camelback High School Principal James Arndt.
PXU has had a few instances over the years of students bringing guns onto school grounds. In May, a student was arrested for being in possession of an AR-15 and ammunition at Bostrom High School. In September, police say a student had a gun at Maryvale High School.
In September of 2022, a shooting scare happened at Central High School that prompted a meeting with families that weekend. Families asked the district about metal detectors then.
“What we have done over the last several years is we're trying to create campuses that are safe and feel safe and don't feel like when you walk in, you're walking into a prison,” former PXU Superintendent Chad Gestson said at that meeting.
The district said because they cannot have school resource officers on every school campus, they’re looking into additional layers of safety for their students and staff.
PXU told ABC15 they chose both Maryvale and Bostrom High Schools because they wanted to test the weapons detectors at a large and small school.
