16-04-2025
Fairfax County Public Schools to deploy new detection scanners at 15 high schools after spring break
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. () — Some students in Fairfax County will return from spring break to new safety and security measures.
This comes as the Fairfax County Public Schools () announced last week that it will kick off its Pilot Weapons Detection System in high schools starting on April 21.
The pilot program involves deploying 15 scanners, also known as OpenGate devices, to a randomly selected high school or high schools. School officials said at least one school, each week, will be chosen by the Office of Safety and Security for screenings.
After, the devices will remain at the school for one to several days.
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The scanners will be provided by a company called CEIA and are designed to screen large numbers of people. The free-standing detectors are portable and can be used indoors or outdoors.
The weapons detection scanners will be used when students arrive for class in the morning. A team of the FCPS's Office of Safety and Security and school-based security personnel will manage and monitor the entry process as students walk through the detectors.
Before walking through, students must remove their laptops from their backpacks.
School officials noted the devices are more sensitive than traditional metal detectors and can more accurately identify metal sources that may be potentially harmful. This includes knives, guns, and materials or components used to make explosive devices.
The scanners may also alert for numerous items that are allowed in schools, including 3-ring binders, laptops, eyeglass cases, umbrellas, metal lunchboxes or pencil cases.
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If the alarm sounds, students will step to the side for a secondary screening to determine the cause of the alert.
According to FCPS, the purpose of the secondary screening is the determine the reason for the alarm. These screenings will be done by school security, administration or trained staff who have been designated to monitor these situations.
If a weapon or illegal substance is discovered during the screenings, the police will take the prohibited items, and the student who brought the items onto campus might face charges.
The pilot program will run through the end of the 2024-25 school year.
The school district said it plans to expand the weapons detection program to the 2025-26 school year based on staffing needs and funding.
For more information about the scanners, click .
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