All students, visitors to pass through weapon detection system
By Andy Klotz—
MUNCIE, IN—Beginning Friday, February 14, all Muncie Central students will start entering the high school through a new, discreet weapon detection system. This system, purchased with funds provided by the City of Muncie, enhances current security measures, providing another layer of safety for everyone inside. Any visitors to the school will also be required to pass through the new system.
“We are all aware of unfortunate situations that have occurred in schools around the country, and we want to do everything we can to prevent something like that from happening at Muncie Central,” Muncie Community Schools Director of Public Education and CEO Dr. Chuck Reynolds said. “We’ve been talking about this for a while, and we are grateful to the city and Mayor Ridenour for providing the funding to finally make this happen.”
The walk-through system, which cost about $65,000, uses freestanding mobile pillars to detect weapons that could be concealed in a bag, backpack or pockets. Because bags and backpacks will not need to be opened or emptied unless an alarm is triggered, entering the school should still be easy and efficient.
Mayor Dan Ridenour presents a check for the new system to officials. Pictured L-R: MPD Chief Sloan, School Board President Jim Williams, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour, MCHS Assistant Principal Justin Oliver, School Safety Officer Robert Scaife. Photo provided.
MCS School Safety Officers and administrators have been trained on the new equipment, and they will be on site to address any issues that may arise. There will be three of these units in use at the school to keep students steadily flowing into the building each morning.
“We’ve seen this exact system in use at other area schools, and it’s really effective,” Dr. Reynolds said. “The students quickly become accustomed to entering school with their laptops and binders in hand rather than in their bookbags, so there’s no delay at all unless someone forgets to pull those items out.”
Many common items like keys, water containers and most cell phones will not trigger an alarm, so they do not need to be removed from bags or pockets, which makes the system more efficient than others used at arenas, concert venues and government buildings.
“There’s nothing more important than the safety of our students and all citizens, so we are delighted to make this investment in our young people,” Mayor Dan Ridenour said. “School officials are working hard to provide a safe and welcoming educational environment, and we want to support that whenever possible.”
Because the pillars are relatively light and easy to transport, they will also be used at MCS middle schools for random security checks. People may also see them at MCS sporting events or other places where large crowds are expected to gather. School officials will monitor the entry process and look for opportunities to improve any inefficiencies that might occur.
“Before students can learn, they need to feel safe, and this is one more layer of safety we can provide without creating an intrusive or unnatural experience,” Dr. Reynolds said. “We’ve heard from other school districts that their students actually say they feel safer with a system like this in place.”
For a video demonstration of the weapons detection system in use, please visit https://youtu.be/DAnVj8dncQY.
About Muncie Community Schools
Serving the local community since 1855, Muncie Community Schools (MCS) educates more than 5,000 students at six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school while also managing several other educational facilities. Through its unique partnership with Ball State University, MCS strives to maximize each student’s potential so he or she can be a positive, productive member of society.
