KPS looks to expand weapon detector use in middle, high schools

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

KPS looks to expand weapon detector use in middle, high schools

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Walking through weapon detectors could be part of the morning routine for some Kalamazoo Public School students under a proposal by district leaders.

In recent weeks, Superintendent Darrin Slade and other KPS leaders have been sharing the district’s current and safety and security plans and a possible change. Currently, school doors are locked when not in use and secured vestibules create space between visitors and classrooms. A proposed safety policy would have students walk through weapon detectors in middle and high schools during the school day.

KPS superintendent shares policy on handling ICE agent visits

The move also comes

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

at Kalamazoo Central High School last year — the same campus where Monday’s meeting was held. Slade said it’s been a common practice at his previous districts.

“It’s just an additional layer of security to make sure our kids are safe. I know a lot of principals, when I started, they talked about having them. Teachers also. Even parents,” said Slade.

The detectors are similar to the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. Comstock Public Schools use similar equipment during sporting events. Chief of Campus Safety Don Webster said the district has used similar sporting events since 2018. The 11 detectors were bought last November but have only been used for special events. In the proposed policy, KPS security staff, a school’s principal and an assistant principal would help usher students through the process.

With each middle and high school already equipped, Slade said there should be no additional costs.

“We never make a decision in isolation, we like to involve our community partners and let them have a voice,” said the superintendent.

After answering questions from the pool of more than 40 people in the auditorium, most parents were on board with the proposal. One was Tina Tabulog, who has a student who goes to Loy Norrix High School and another in elementary school. She said students are worried about the reality of school violence.

“They see the school shootings all over the news. They worry when they go to school and when this came up I asked their opinion. They say ‘No, I would feel better, I would feel safer. I would feel not as hesitant to go to school,’” she said.

Slade said the question will be brought up to the school board in either March or April. If passed, a test ******* would start near the end of the school year.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#KPS #expand #weapon #detector #middle #high #schools

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up