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Duval district plans weapons scanners at nearly 90 elementary schools over three years
Duval County Public Schools has begun installing weapons detection systems at elementary schools under a $2 million contract. The district says it plans to expand the systems to nearly 90 schools over the next three years.
Duval County Public Schools began expanding weapons detection systems to elementary schools in October, extending a program already in place at the district’s middle and high schools.
The School Board approved a $2 million contract with the security company providing the technology. The district plans to install the systems at nearly 90 elementary schools over the next three years. The systems are portable, walk-through units designed to detect weapons and other threats, including knives, firearms and explosives.
DCPS Police Chief Jackson Short said the district hopes the technology will deter people from bringing weapons onto school campuses. He said the goal is to prevent weapons from reaching schools in the first place. District police reported that a system detected a firearm at a high school last year.
John E. Ford K-8 began using the system last school year. Fifth-grader Madeline Herbin said she initially worried the process might be frightening or slow, but found it quick and said it made her feel safer. Student Mackenzie Peterson said her nerves eased when she saw that all students were going through the screening.
The rollout will bring the systems to elementary campuses across the district, though the district has not provided a school-by-school installation schedule in the information available.