The Clark County School District (CCSD) will use new, more sensitive weapon detection systems this upcoming academic year at large scale, high school athletic events and for random screenings at middle schools and high schools.

CCSD Police Chief Mike Blackeye said the new systems will speed up screenings at events such as basketball and football games, which he said is crucial especially for games that attract large crowds. It will also make random screenings — which started about four years ago — as students come onto school campuses less disruptive. 

“We did have challenges with arrival screening previously … we couldn't get all students in time for school to start,” interim Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell said at a Tuesday press conference. “So a lot of the impetus was that it was a faster and more innovative, technology driven system.” 

CCSD is part of a growing number of school districts upgrading their weapon detectors amid concerns on school shootings. States such as Iowa, Michigan and Utah have passed laws to fund this technology for schools. 

Shawn Carter, the district’s emergency management coordinator, said CCSD has 43 new weapon detection systems, one for every high school that has a stadium. The new weapon detectors cost the district $3.7 million, the district said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. 

Carter said one person will be able to pass through the system every three seconds. He said the system will be able to detect metals, including those that are non-ferrous. The system is equipped with a tablet that will show officials the approximate area of where a possible weapon may be located. Carter said a secondary search with a traditional, hand-held metal detector may be conducted for anyone who sets off the system’s alarm. 

Last school year, the district confiscated about 300 weapons — 224 from students — on and off campus including handguns, air guns and knives, according to its firearms confiscation report. The district didn’t confiscate any firearms at any major sporting event last year, Blackeye said.

Other safety efforts

In addition to these new policies, district officials reiterated previously announced policies on ID badge requirements and signal-blocking pouches for cellphones that will be in place for all middle schools and high schools. Some parents and students have opposed the pouches, arguing that cellphone access is important in emergency situations such as school shootings. 

Blackeye announced the department has added five social workers to work alongside its officers, bringing its total up to eight. The social workers act as a liaison between the police department and families and can connect them to resources such as mental health services. 

He said the district’s police department has also assigned police officers to schools in Laughlin, Sandy Valley, Indian Springs and Moapa, which were previously covered by officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. 

To help support their efforts to provide a safe environment for students, district officials are also urging parents to check their child’s backpack to ensure they only bring appropriate items to school, secure their firearms at home and monitor their child’s social media accounts 

This story was updated on 8/6/24 at 4:30 p.m. to include the cost of the new weapon detectors, and on 8/7/24 at 9:46 a.m. to correct Shawn Carter's name.