SALT LAKE CITY — Legislative funds over $1.1 million will be used towards putting metal detectors and hired guards in four Salt Lake City high schools this year.
The universal goal to keep students and staff safe echoed throughout the Salt Lake City School District board meeting Tuesday night. But whether metal detectors are a solution against gun violence in schools split the room.
Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Grant says she wants to use every tool available to keep schools safe. But board member Ashley Andersen claimed data shows that hardening measures offer zero protection against school violence.
“I’m thinking about the minority kids who came from refugee world, from places of war and then they have to walk through this. And then if it beeps, it’s a nightmare,” said board member Mohamed Baayd.
“We had parents pleading with us to have these detectors, to have these staffing for such security measures as well," said board vice president Bryce Williams, "and these are parents in my precinct that come from a variety of different backgrounds and lived experiences.”
The meeting ended in a 5-to-2 vote in favor of moving forward with the million dollar contract to hire security guards. The guards will install and run the $1.4 million metal detectors the board approved in January.
The metal detectors will be be placed in four high schools, including Highland High School where three students were arrested in June for bringing loaded guns onto campus.
“For us, it's critical in these times to do everything that we can,” explained district spokesperson Yándary Chatwin. “We’re hopeful that students and parents will feel like they are a little bit more safe.”
However, some worry about the student anxiety.
Nancy Halden, communications director of the Gun Prevention Center of Utah says research from the Rand Corporation and Violence Prevention Project shows the measures may do the opposite of what they intend.
“What we know from a couple of studies is that having armed guards is not an effective way to keep your schools safe. In fact, there are a couple of studies that show that having armed guards actually leads to more violence rather than less,” Halden claimed.
Students and staff won’t find the metal detectors and guards at the start of the school year as a timeline has yet to be set.
“We’re going to have open houses at the high school so that folks can see what they're gonna look like so that parents can feel comfortable with what's going to be there for their students,” said Chatwin.
