PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The School District of Philadelphia will begin randomly screening middle school students for weapons starting on Monday. Officials said this is in response to a rising number of gun-related incidents, and it is trying to “avoid potentially dangerous situations” in school buildings.
The district outlined the details in a letter to families sent on Thursday. The screenings will happen at six schools a day, and the plan is to check every middle and elementary school that includes sixth- to eighth-graders by the end of the school year.
The district said teams of school safety officers will be performing the screenings with at least one school leader present. Hand wands or metal detectors, depending on the size of the school, will be used. Bags, backpacks and personal items will be checked by hand.
“Part of this is also, hopefully, folks will realize, ‘Hey, let me check my daughter or my son’s bag to make sure the gun I put away and haven’t looked at in a year is where it’s supposed to be,’ ” Kevin Bethel, district safety chief, told NBC10.
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Students will have a chance to get rid of illegal or inappropriate items without consequences before going through the screening process, according to the district’s letter. Weapons found during the screening will be confiscated.
School safety officials will detain any student who has a gun, and they will be referred to Philadelphia police.
“Some people may think it’s too much, but you have to think like it’s a 50-50 chance. Are you willing to take that chance that somebody does have [a weapon]?” mother Nadira Fair said to NBC10.
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“At the end of the day, if you just be a good parent, it should be no other way,” Kevin Taylor added to NBC10.
The district, which acknowledges the process can be “intrusive and inconvenient,” vows to treat every student “fairly with dignity and respect.”