Upper Darby approves $1.1 million weapons detection system after finding AR-style magazine at high school

The Upper Darby school board voted unanimously Tuesday to implement weapons detection systems at its high school and two middle schools, after parents implored the district to take action following the discoveries of a loaded gun and AR-style magazine at the high school earlier this month.

Addressing the board before a special voting session devoted to considering the new systems, parents said they feared their children were at risk in the 4,400-student high school, and supported any measures that would reduce the chances of a weapon making its way into the building.

“I just want him to be able to feel safe in the school,” parent Eboni Darden said of her son. If other parents won’t stop their children from getting access to weapons, Darden said, she wanted to be sure “we have something in place.”

The Evolv systems, which use artificial intelligence to detect possible weapons, will cost the district more than $1.1 million over four years — with close to $920,000 in costs the first year.

Their implementation will require a significant adjustment, Superintendent Daniel McGarry told board members: At the high school, administrators anticipate it will likely take 40 to 60 minutes to process students through the detection systems. The detectors can be set off by items like Chromebooks, three-ring binders, and eyeglass cases; officials expect 400 to 600 searches a day will need to be conducted, until students get used to the systems and learn which items need to be removed while going through the lanes.

Searches will be conducted in a separate area, McGarry said. The district will use existing staff members to manage the new process, redirecting them from another system for students to scan their IDs upon entering the schools. (McGarry said the district would still have hall monitors to address the prospect of non-Upper Darby students entering the buildings.)

Parents like Christine Boggi said safety trumped logistical concerns. “I don’t care how much this costs, this is very, very important,” said Boggi, who has a child in the autistic support program and said she was “terrified” in light of the recent incidents.

The conversation about adding weapons detection in Upper Darby isn’t new; previous proposals had been rejected by the school board out of concerns about the psychological impact on children.

Some community members continued to express opposition Tuesday. “I don’t believe treating the entire community of children like potential criminals is the best way,” said Edward Ganges. He said installing the systems “will tell them they are not good enough to respect themselves, to reject deviant behavior on their own.”

Others said the historically cash-strapped district had better uses for the money and warned against an overreaction to the recent incidents, which spurred lock-ins at the high school on Sept. 3 and Sept. 13 and further searches for weapons in the building.

McGarry said the weapons system proposal was not just the result of those incidents but “other adult and student conduct that takes place outside our schools and, unfortunately, makes its way inside our schools.” He told community members Tuesday that administrators were responding to threats “24/7.”

Community members in favor of the systems said that they had become an unfortunate part of everyday life in other venues — like airports and stadiums — and that it was time for Upper Darby to follow suit. Some who have been pressing for more security also said they were tired of pleading for their safety.

“Being in the high school when there is a gun in the building, and you’re there? Your butt’s not there. I’m sitting in there,” said Amy Sandman, a staff member at the high school, addressing opponents of the proposal. “And I’m not going to be a sitting duck for your feelings any longer.”