WFISD discusses metal detectors at safety and security meeting

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - As keeping kids safe in school is at the top of everyone’s minds, metal detectors are set to be placed in high schools and middle schools this year in the Wichita Falls ISD.

However, some of the final details on how to make that happen are still being worked out. The Safety and Security Committee met Tuesday in hopes of ironing this out, but members said the biggest concern is the staffing of the metal detectors.

One of the main things to come out of WFISD’s Safety and Security Committee has been a determination to install metal detectors. These will be put all secondary schools as soon as staffing is figured out, but the deficit has made that decision difficult.

“You’re removing them out of that academic setting and so that is the dilemma the campus will be running into. With the cuts that we’ve had this past year, they don’t have extra bodies to put there,” a Safety and Security Committee member said.

The district is not looking to hire new security for the metal detectors. Instead, committee members are considering a rotation system between teachers at each campus. A final decision hasn’t been made yet, but they’re also looking at other security concerns, like a door alert system to let them know if doors are open when class is in session.

“The problem is we’ve got so many doors, we’ve got people coming back from lunch, we’ve got people coming back from athletics, from the football fields, those doors are always opening and closing,” a safety and security committee member said.

They also addressed specific schools that need basic security, like fencing and security cameras.

“There’s a gate that you can just come up off the street and open this little three-foot chain fence and get in. That’s just not good, so that needs to be addressed, they also need exterior cameras,” Lahoma Vaughn, WFISD police chief, said.

These new security measures cost money, so the committee plans on applying for grants to fund projects they say need urgent attention.

The Safety and Security Committee also discussed a change of dress code for the district, including banning hoodies, however, that will be further talked about at later meetings and will need to be approved by the board.

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