Making school safer with metal detectors

Safety for students continues to be a top priority in schools across the nation, and SWMHS makes sure that its students are in a safe environment at all times. Metal detectors have been one of the most recent developments in school safety and continue to be efficient in making the school a safer place.

Sean Lee, grade 11, interviewed SWMHS interim principal and superintendent Dr. Richard R. Labbe with a few questions about the metal detectors.

Sean Lee: What is the main reason for implementing the metal detectors?

Dr. Labbe: To prevent anyone from doing mass harm to students or staff in the building.

Lee: How well have the metal detectors been working?

Labbe: Extremely well. We’re able to screen all of our students within the time period of 7:00 to about 7:25 AM so that all of our kids can get to class on time. It takes us approximately four seconds per student.

Lee: In what ways could students help speed up the process of passing through the metal detectors in the morning?

Labbe: By making sure that anything that could go off in the detectors… is placed into their bags. Things such as their cell phones, earbuds, earphones, any heavy metal objects. We don’t necessarily need to put belts in there, but keys, anything that could go off in the metal detector, put it in your bag, and then unzip all compartments of your bag.