GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The Green Bay School Board voted against a pilot program that would test out a weapons detector system in at least one Green Bay High School. The board said they will continue to look at how to improve school safety.
- The school board voted 5-2 against weapon detectors in schools Monday night.
- Green Bay Area Public Schools has looked closely at its safety procedures since a weapons incident this fall.
- The board is continuing to look at options for safety improvements.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Only two board members voted in favor of the pilot program during Monday's board meeting.
“There are pros and cons and the cons are significant," board member Andrew Becker said.
Board members who voted no said weapon detectors would do little for student safety.
“Many of the types of school shootings that would occur would not be stopped by a weapons detector," Becker said.
They also said the detectors could have a negative impact on student culture.
“I think there’s a lot more important things that we should be doing and spending our time on that could directly decrease the amount of negative and dangerous behavior in our schools," board member Alex Mineau said.
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School safety has been on the district's mind this year, sparked by an incident in September when a loaded handgun was found in a student’s backpack.
In response, the school board started requiring clear backpacks for students.
"We want to create secure environments," board president James Lyerly said. "It’s not a straight forward solution."
For now, the board has said that metal detectors, even on a trial basis, are not the right choice.
“I don’t believe this is the way to go," Becker said.
Lyerly said they'll likely be voting on other safety procedural changes soon, though he could not say what those changes might be.
