The Clark County School District announced Friday that staff and administrators will begin conducting random searches of students using metal-detector wands to combat the recent spike in firearms found on campuses.

Eleven firearms have been confiscated from students so far this school year, compared with five at the same time last year, school officials said. In September, an 18-year-old student was gunned down outside Canyon Springs High School in a slaying that authorities have described as a neighborhood issue that drifted onto campus.

“I want to be very clear with this community, our community,” Superintendent Jesus Jara said during a news conference. “No weapons will be tolerated on our campuses.”

The searches will be done at middle and high schools across Clark County, chosen by a computer program that randomly selects the campus and classrooms, school Police Chief James Ketsaa said. All students inside the chosen classroom will be searched.

For searches conducted as students enter schools, staff and administrators will designate a specific pattern for choosing students, officials said. For instance, they might ask every fifth or tenth student entering the school to step aside for a search.

School police officers will not conduct the searches but will be on hand in case staff or administrators need advice or assistance, Ketsaa said. If weapons are found, police would make any necessary arrests.

“I just want to start by saying that we are very cognizant of the need to balance school safety with the shared belief that every child has basic civil rights and privacy that we must respect,” Ketsaa said. “Our goal is always prevention and to develop relationships so that situations are discovered before they become problems.”

If the metal detectors indicate a need for more screening, a same-sex staff member will conduct another search in a private room with a witness present, Ketsaa said.

School officials said Regulation 5144 grants staff and administrators the right to conduct random searches based on this line included within it: “A search is necessary to maintain school discipline, order or safety, and to prevent the removal or destruction of evidence.”

An official with the ACLU of Nevada declined to comment, saying the organization is still analyzing the new policy.

Still, the superintendent emphasized during the news conference that he’s confident the searches would be carried out in a manner that protects students’ rights. He noted that similar searches already happen at big events on school campuses, such as football games.

The searches — which school officials hope serve as a deterrent for weapon possession — will begin in the next few weeks. The cost of the handheld metal detectors will be less than $2,000, Jara said.

“This is a very clear initial step we must take,” he said.

The superintendent released a statement late Friday afternoon that sheds more light on the district's plan.

"The program is set to start in the next two weeks after training of school-based staff is complete.," he wrote. "CCSD will publish written procedures in compliance with federal and state law prior to implementation of the program."

School leaders and police called on parents to do their part by checking their children’s backpacks and securing any firearms in the home. The district plans to send a notice to all parents informing them of the new safety procedure.

Last month, Jara announced he was forming an advisory group to discuss ways to eliminate the unlawful existence of firearms on school property. That group will provide recommendations to the School Board of Trustees in December.

The story was updated at 1:02 p.m. to include a response from the ACLU of Nevada and again at 4:25 p.m. to include an additional statement issued by the school district.