Safety – Henrico County Public Schools

FAQ about metal detector, scanner field tests (March 2023):
Henrico County Public Schools puts the safety of its students and staff first. Even with multifaceted safety places in place, the school division continuously explores new resources, technologies and best practices to support and maintain schools and campuses that are both secure and conducive to learning.

As part of HCPS’ ongoing efforts, the division is field-testing metal detectors and scanners in schools across the County. Division leaders selected schools across the county’s five magisterial districts, representing campus-style and traditional school buildings, for the field test.

Understandably, students, employees and families may have questions about the field test and how the school division will use the information it gathers. Answers to the following frequently asked questions are shared to provide clarity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of the metal detector field test?
The field test’s goal is to understand better the logistical and financial implications of using metal detectors and weapons scanners, and their impact on instructional time, school culture and the school community’s perceptions of safety. The field test is designed to try different models of detectors, gather data and feedback and inform future decisions.

When is the field test taking place?
The field test is underway now, with the installation of equipment and staff training taking place. For security reasons, the school division is not sharing the specific dates that detectors will be used at participating schools. The field test will end before spring break.

What schools are participating in the field test? How were they selected?
The field test will include multiple phases and include campus-style and traditional school buildings. The division’s emergency management office will use Phases I and II findings to determine if the field test needs to expand to gather more information.
- Phase I: High schools
  Metal detectors will be deployed at entry points at Mills Godwin, Hermitage and Varina high schools.
- Phase II: Middle schools
  Weapon detection scanner technology similar to what visitors might see at the entrance to theme parks or sports stadiums will be tested at Brookland and Short Pump middle schools.
Are elementary schools part of the field test?
Phase I and Phase II do not include an elementary school site. The division’s emergency management office will use Phases I and II findings to determine if the field test needs to expand. If additional field-testing is necessary, the information from secondary schools will help inform a developmentally appropriate approach with elementary schools and students.

What types of metal detectors are being used and what is the process?
There will be changes and potential disruptions as students arrive at participating schools. Still, it is essential that the entire school community participates fully to help inform the next steps for the division.

In Phase I, students will pass through free-standing detectors. Before walking through, they will empty pockets and give staff their bag or backpack. If the alarm sounds, the student must step to the side to be scanned by a trained staff member using a wand. Although the wand does not touch the person, it makes a noise when detecting metal. Bags and backpacks will also be scanned using a wand and searched if the alarm sounds.

In Phase II, all students will pass through free-standing, hi-tech weapon scanners. Students must hand their laptops to a staff member as they walk through the scanner. If the alarm sounds, the student will remove items from pockets and go through the scanner again. If the alarm sounds a second time, the student must step to the side to be scanned by a trained staff member using a wand.

Who will pass through the detectors?
During Phase I, some days all students will pass through the free-standing detectors using the process explained above. On other days, students will be directed through the detectors using a consistent entry count —for example, every fifth person may go through the detector.

During Phase II, all students will pass through the scanner technology.

In all phases, visitors will continue to enter the school through the main entrance vestibule. A free-standing detector may be there on any given day. The school will deny entry to any adult visitor who refuses to go through the detector/scanner.

Who is operating the metal detectors/scanners?
At each participating school, a team of trained administrators, school resource officers, school safety officers and members of the HCPS safety team will manage and monitor the entry process.

What if a weapon or illegal substance is found?
If a weapon or illegal substance is found, police will take possession of it immediately. The person bringing the item(s) onto school property will face potential charges by police and disciplinary action by the school aligned with the HCPS Code of Student Conduct.

What resources are available to students or employees who are anxious about the metal detectors?
As shared by principals at participating schools, families are encouraged to talk with students about the field test and what to expect in advance. School counselors are prepared to support and assist students experiencing anxiety over new arrival procedures or metal detectors at their school.

Employees with concerns or anxiety about the field test should speak with their supervisor or contact the Employee Assistant Program offered through the school division’s health benefits.

What if I don’t want my children to participate in the field test?
To be effective, it is essential that the entire school community participate at schools where field tests are underway. If your child cannot pass through the metal detector for medical reasons, please contact the school nurse or the principal. Otherwise, the expectation is that all students will follow staff directions regarding this important safety matter.

What if a student refuses to pass through the detector/scanner?
Students who refuse to go through the detector/scanner will be removed from the area and searched by an administrator and the SRO. If the students refuse this search, their parents will be called and the students will be sent home.

According to HCPS Policy (P6-04-003/ P6-04-003 R), students who refuse will not be allowed in the building and will face disciplinary action aligned with the Code of Student Conduct.

How will the school division get feedback?
Students, parents/caregivers and employees from participating schools will be able to provide feedback at the end of the field test through focus groups. The principal will share details.

What happens at the end of the field test?
School division leaders will use feedback gathered at participating schools, logistical data and research on the effectiveness of scanners in schools to determine the next steps following the field test. After the evaluation period, Dr. Cashwell will communicate with the school board and families about the division’s learnings.

My child’s school is not part of the field test. What are the safety measures in place at other schools?
The school division’s multilayered safety plan includes, but is not limited to:
- Technology and security equipment (cameras, sensors, alarms, web filtering, etc.)
- School resource officers (SROs) and school safety officers (SSOs)
- Site-specific emergency response plans
- Training for staff
- Emergency drills for students and employees
- Safety and security audits
- Partnerships with police and first responders
- The Anonymous Alert reporting system
- A rapid notification system to keep families informed

An important safety update from Dr. Amy Cashwell, superintendent (January 2023):

January 2023

HCPS families and staff:

I’m writing this evening about the critical issue of school safety. I apologize for the length of this message, but the topic deserves our full attention and thorough consideration.

By now, you’ve likely heard the troubling news that a loaded gun was recovered from a student at a Henrico County middle school last Friday. An anonymous tip led administrators and the school resource officer to search the student’s backpack. This is just the latest significant safety-related incident involving weapons and threats being made to schools across Henrico County this school year.

I am saddened to live in a time when these incidents happen, and like many in our community, I am also angry. Students should not have anxiety about going to school, and teachers should not have to worry about putting themselves in harm’s way to protect their students. Enough is enough. As a community, we must stand together and take action to reduce youth violence. Every student and adult has a critical role in keeping our schools and our community safe.

As superintendent, I am committed to the necessary and ongoing work to strengthen school security measures and support all of our students and staff. It is a shared priority and commitment for the entire HCPS administration and the School Board. Safety and wellness are a cornerstone of the school division’s strategic plan, and comprehensive and multi-layered security plans are in place for each school building and campus.

By mid-February, we will begin a field test of metal detectors at multiple schools at all levels across the County. Trained staff will lead students, employees and visitors through free-standing detectors and/or screen them with hand-held metal detecting wands. We will also test new weapon detection technology currently being used at some professional sports stadiums and other venues. The detectors will change arrival procedures, but we are working to minimize delays to the greatest extent possible. Principals at field test schools will share details with impacted staff, students and families soon.

The metal detectors supplement the increased K-9 sweeps, security cameras, access control systems, buzz-in vestibule entryways, threat assessment and crisis response teams, school resources officers (SROs), HCPS safety officers, Anonymous Alert systems and other security layers HCPS has in place. We continue to educate students about safety and practice drills for all types of emergencies, including an act of violence at school.

This summer, I brought together a team of safety experts to look at security measures and how the division can better support first responders in an emergency. The division is currently funding and implementing many of the Blue Ribbon Safety Panel’s recommendations. HCPS is also investing in essential human resources through a multi-year commitment to add more school-based mental health professionals, school counselors and school resource officers.

We work daily to build relationships and a strong school culture of trust and support in every school where staff, students and families understand our shared responsibility for school safety. That work is making an impact. In most cases where weapons were found at school, they were recovered because someone spoke up or used the division’s Anonymous Alert system to do the right thing.

We must acknowledge, however, that the surge in youth crime and violence is not just a school issue but a community issue. We must work together to address the problem, as families, neighbors and community members. You are each a critical part of the solution.

Last year, the county manager, police chief, and I established a joint task force on youth crime and violence. Our focus is on streamlining school, general government and community resources to combat youth crime and violence. As a result, a “Handle with Care” program is now in place to help schools identify and serve students impacted by violence and trauma in their homes and community.

The task force cohosted a community town hall last spring where organizations provided resources and made connections. For example, the Henrico Police Division was there to speak with families about crime prevention, safe gun storage and more. As a next step, the task force will host a Regional Youth Summit this spring focusing on topics and issues identified by students for students.

To further engage families, the school division’s Division of Family and Community Engagement offers services and workshops on various topics, including mental health resources, social media awareness, academic support and more. HCPS and our community partners also recently opened The Oak, the region’s first full-service community school to provide academic and wraparound services to students and families.

You may ask yourself, “What can I do?” Have conversations with your children about their concerns and how to share suspicious activity through the Anonymous Alert system. Know what they post on social media and what they carry to school in their backpacks and pockets. Reinforce that there are very real and serious consequences for bringing weapons on campus, whether they intend to use them or not. Finally, please ensure any weapons in your home are safely stored.

We are making an urgent plea to our families, caregivers, faith leaders and community partners: help us help our students. Be present, engaged and involved in our students’ lives, and leverage your personal and professional resources to reduce youth violence and trauma in our community. We cannot do this work alone, and it is too important to ignore. The very lives of our students and school employees depend on it.

Thank you for being part of the solution.

Sincerely,

Dr. Amy E. Cashwell

An important safety update from the School Board (December 2022):
December 2022

Because we believe that nothing is more important than the safety of our learning environments, HCPS regularly works to make our schools as secure as possible. As we have seen recently, however, an uptick in crime can manifest as school security or behavioral issues in our schools.

Working with Dr. Cashwell, we have been looking at new ways to build upon the multilayered security plans already in place at each school and campus. What does that look like?
- From an operational standpoint, students and staff may see increased school sweeps by specially trained police K-9 units at middle and high schools countywide.
- Additionally, the HCPS Office of Emergency Management plans to field-test metal detectors in schools across the division soon.
Why test metal detectors now?

The field tests will help division and building leaders evaluate the logistics of using metal detectors/wands and the impacts on safety and the learning environment. We understand that there is a delicate balance to increasing security without creating a feeling that schools are fortresses or prisons. But we would be remiss if we did not explore every potential resource.

When will the field test of metal detectors begin?

Although staff are working expeditiously, we want the field test to be well-planned before it begins. As we get closer to implementation, your family will receive more information from your school’s principal and from Dr. Cashwell.

How is a field test different from a pilot?

Often, we use a small-scale pilot to work out the kinks of a program before moving forward to divisionwide implementation. We will use this field test to evaluate a variety of detectors and wands across different campus styles and grade levels to determine if they should be used division wide.

For now, please know that we value our partnership with you, our families, and will continue to keep you informed. It takes all of us — staff members, students, families and our Henrico law enforcement community — to keep our schools safe and thriving.

With gratitude and wishes for a restful upcoming Winter Break.
- Marcie Shea, chair (Tuckahoe District)
- Kristi Kinsella, vice chair (Brookland District)
- Roscoe Cooper III (Fairfield District)
- Michelle “Micky” Ogburn (Three Chopt District)
- Alicia Atkins (Varina District)

In the event of an emergency:

In case of an emergency, it is natural to want to take action. However, it is imperative that you:

Do not go to the school unless you are contacted by school authorities and asked to do so. Going to the school during an emergency will interfere with the ability of emergency service vehicles to get into and out of the school zone and may compromise the safety of everyone involved in the emergency.
Do not call the school. It is essential to keep phone lines open so school officials can make outgoing emergency calls. If students are ill or injured, the parents of those students will be notified first. Updates will be made to your emergency contact phone number. Current information may also be posted at www.henricoschools.us or to the HCPS Facebook or Twitter pages.

HCPS has a strong partnership with Henrico County’s divisions of Police, Fire and Emergency Services, and those resources are mobilized whenever needed.

See the “Crisis Preparedness: Parents and School Emergencies Handbook” for detailed information and instructions for emergencies.