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Date: 2/6/2019
AGAWAM – On Jan. 29, the Agawam School Committee met to discuss Superintendent Steven Lemanski’s visit in March 2018 to Commerce High School in Springfield. Joined by committee members Anthony Bonavita and Tracy Wilkie, Mayor William Sapelli and School Safety Officer John Nettis, the visit was to observe the school’s utilization of metal detectors. The observation was part of an ongoing discussion about the potential of implementing metal detectors in Agawam High School.
Lemanski presented his findings during the visit to Commerce High School to the committee, discussing the metal detector procedures used by the school and what the average cost would be if Agawam Public Schools were to implement them.
Sapelli clarified that the meeting was not intended to make final decisions about safety measures, but to introduce them.
“This is not necessarily a meeting where we are going to decide whether we want them or not. This is just for Mr. Lemanski, at our request, to report so that we can get some information on all different aspects of safety whether it’s additional guards, different locking devices, cameras, or even at some degree possibly metal detectors. This is kind of a meeting to just kind of report about what he viewed and what we viewed,” Sapelli said.
Funded by a recent grant, three separate safety committees have been formed to focus on safety in schools. District, junior high school and high school committees have been formed and will include members of the Agawam School Committee.
Lemanski explained the procedure at Commerce High School.
“There are 1,200 students enrolled in Commerce, which is pretty close to our number at the high school, which is 1,100, so we are pretty comparable that way. They allow students to enter from one doorway coming in at the front of their building. Students come in and at the doors they have assistant principals. They also have security personnel at the two security stations.” Lemanski said.
Lemanski continued, “As they come in, they count off every fifth student or so. It’s not always the fifth, but it might be the fourth or someone they want to go through. If the metal detector detects something, they will ask the student to place their bag on the table, which is right next to it. They will search through the bag and they will also wand the student.”
While this is the procedure for students who arrive to school on time, there is a separate procedure for after class is in session.
“If you are late to school, every student then gets checked at that point in time. One of [the metal detectors] is pushed aside once school starts and they keep an unarmed security officer at the door in case there are any further late students and/or any visitors that come to the building. Everyone goes through the metal detector.” Lemanski said.
In addition to safety concerns, Lemanski shared that the wand device has the ability to pick up on juuling and vaping devices.
“We did ask what the wands pick up and one of the concerns that we have are students juuling and vaping and they did say they have found some of that although that’s not one of their main reasons for doing that.” Lemanski said.
During the school committee meeting, committee members discussed pros and cons in regard to implementing metal detectors.
Committee member Shelley Reed shared, “I personally disagree with Agawam looking into getting metal detectors. My reasons for not agreeing is the fact that we have so many doors and the fact that those security guards are unarmed. There are hundreds of windows in the Agawam High School. I’d rather see the money, myself, going into more armed resource officers possibly at the doors and some vaping detectors that I know we have talked about to take care of the vaping issues.”
Lemanski shared, “I was very concerned with making students late but I didn’t know that they were checking every fifth one, so that made it go by a little quicker than I expected. Had they checked every one, that would have been very time consuming and that’s a big concern if we are looking at this for our schools too.”
Lemanski continued, “Kids are very used to it. They go through it in some cases. Last year I did a visit and some of the kids are pretty prepared of coming in and not wearing metal that’s going to set off one of the detectors.”
Bonavita shared, “I’m in favor of anything that will help the safety of the children. Whether it’s metal detectors or something else, I’m considering everything. I’m not afraid of metal detectors and I don’t think it gives any kind of a bad image to a school when you’re trying to protect children. If that’s the option to go to, maybe that’s the option to go to but we’ll decide that later.”
Wilkie said, “One of the things that I enjoyed when we went to see the metal detectors being used at the school was every student that walked through the door had some sort of relationship with the principal. They all seemed to get to know each other. It was just another avenue for the administration to get to know their student body. I really liked that, I really enjoyed that.”
Committee member Kerrie O’Connor said, “I’m really happy and glad that there have been safety committees formed. It’s very important because a thorough evaluation of windows, doors and whatever safety committees come up with would be a really good thing for the district as far as safety is concerned. Also to see whether or not this will be cost-effective.”
The potential costs associated with installing detectors and hiring additional staff was also addressed during the meeting. Based on a graphic shared by Lemanski, the average cost of a single metal detector is $4,500. A single wand on average costs $150. For one metal detector with a wand and additional security personnel, the average cost would be $22,290. If equipment were to be installed at all four entrance areas of Agawam High School, the equipment would be a one-time cost of $13,950. The annual cost after purchasing equipment would be $52,920.
The presentation concluded with numerous factors that will be looked into by the school committee as well as the newly formed safety committees.
“Of course, every school presents a specific way of laying out and we would have to decide how it would work at each school or each area and certainly at our school, the way it’s laid out, presents a very challenging way of doing that. What can we do for each school that might be a little different? It would be where do we put metal detectors, when do we have kids go through them, do they enter right away, so looking at all of those things.” Lemanski said.
Reed shared, “I think we need to work more on the social and emotional needs of some of these kids that would possibly do something like this. That’s the root of the problem. Maybe more councilors. I’d like to see more resource officers. I’d like to see the cameras being monitored more, the doors not being used maybe be some kind of alarm where the kids can’t let people in. If there is a child coming to school armed with a gun, they’re not going through the metal detector. There’s just too many other ways to get into that school. There are a lot of other things I think we need to do to tighten it up.“
Lemanski cited an article he read in Education Week regarding the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that occurred in Florida in 2018.
“One of the things here, because school shooters are often students, safety experts recommend schools invest in prevention efforts, not just hardening. The way I see this, we have to look at it from both ends. We have to certainly identify our kids that have risky behaviors, be able to help them, know who they are, but also have a good balance with the hardening procedures as well.” Lemanski said.
The next Agawam School Committee meeting will take place on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at Agawam Junior High School, located at 1305 Springfield Street in Feeding Hills.