As of this year, Columbia Public School District has decided to permanently place weapon detection systems at student entrances of Battle, Hickman, and Rock Bridge. The detectors may also be used at sporting events, dances, and other school-hosted occasions at all high schools. 

This newly installed system was made by CEIA USA, and the model being used throughout CPS is the Opengate. According to both CEIA’s and CPS’s websites, Opengate automatically screens individuals with backpacks and bags for potential threats, as well as other prohibited items. Dr. Kendall Lewis, assistant principal, states “Opengate has different sensitivity modes and can be set off by the density of metal that can be found in backpacks and bags, as well as the amount of metal detected. That’s why Opengate may detect contraband when in reality it could be a laptop or binders still in your bag when going through screening.”

The Weapons Detection System page of the CPS official website advises that students take out and hand over security items that could contain metal such as: 

• Electronics (laptops, headphones, cell phones, etc.)
• Folders
• Spiral Notebooks
• Water Bottles
• Keys

All students and visitors are subject to search. If the detection system is set off after the list of items above has been taken out of backpacks and/or bags, a secondary search will be conducted. If contraband is found, it will be confiscated and may result in school disciplinary actions and could lead to legal consequences. 

As for visitors, they must present identification and be screened through Opengate in order to enter the school. To prevent secondary search, CPS recommends visitors leave additional unnecessary bags in their cars.  

Mr. Jon Logan, Assistant Director of Safety and Security, says that he was part of the decision-making process of the implementation and finds Opengate a necessary addition to CPS. 

“We have confiscated and located weapons on our school grounds in the past, so I believe this is a good extra layer of protection of our schools” 

Mrs. Breylee Evers, Dean, states that the decision being made by CPS was discussed on and off throughout the course of last school year among Battle’s admins. Once they were informed with the final decision, admin and security were trained to efficiently get students through Opengate. They later practiced during summer school in June, with only 20% of Battle’s usual student population. Both Mrs. Evers and Dr. Lewis stated that many incoming freshmen attended summer school, which gave both staff and our newest Spartans time to practice going through the motions getting through Opengate.  

Evers says  “I think Opengate is necessary because it gives people a sense of security without really thinking about it. Like yeah, it may seem inconvenient at the beginning of the day, or when you have to leave the school and come back, but at the end of the day people should feel safer with these around.” 

She also states Battle’s administration staff, such as herself, find Opengate easier and more efficient rather than individually pulling students out of their classes to be searched.

“I’m not certain if there has been a specific incident in CPS, but it’s something we would prefer to prevent rather than react to,” said Mrs. Evers “It’s like how you go to the doctor to get preventative care like check-ups. It’s preventative care for your safety.” 

During an interview with Mr. Patrick Mcguire, Assistant Principal, claimed he has recently recalled a student who brought their own kitchen knives for Culinary Arts class. Though he says the student was very open about the reason the utensils were brought, McGuire states “Knowing the context of the class they were in, and that we had these detectors made it easier figuring out the situation.”

McGuire states that there was a sense of uneasiness among administration about getting all of Battle’s students in the building inside in a timely fashion. Yet so far due to late buses, the latest time all students have entered the school was 9:10am, and the fastest, 8:50am, with the accommodation of late bus passes. 

Senior Cedric Lakes states he enters the school through the student bus entrance and claims that since Opengate has been installed, he has not been late to class so far this school year. He also adds to that statement by saying he agrees with CPS’s decision to implement weapon detection systems in all three of our high schools.

“I actually think it’s really cool that they’re doing this. CPS is doing what they can to make sure our schools are a safe place.”

Though he has seen and heard about less contraband being brought in, Lakes says students have responded that Opengate is an inconvenience and that it feels invading privacy-wise.    

A student that has been late due to Opengate is freshman Mia Matamoros-Cruz. As a bus rider, she states that she has been around five to ten minutes late to class because of the line build up of students going through Opengate, as well as also having classes far away from the student entrance such as in upper J hall. Matamoros-Cruz thinks that a weapon detection system is necessary for our schools, but she also thinks that CPS could do more to keep students safe at our schools rather than just walking through Opengate.“Sometimes people bring things that aren’t weapons that still aren’t allowed, and they still make it through the detectors” 

Matamoros-Cruz also claims that she did go to summer school and says that the practice going through Opengate during the summer did prepare her for the school year. However, aside from being prepared, she does admit that these new implements are significantly more extreme than the rules she had at middle school. 

  Mr. Mcguire says adding Opengate to middle or even elementary schools wouldn’t be a 0% chance of consideration for CPS. 

“Given the state of weapons that were confiscated and hearing about weapons being brought in there’s always a possibility. Which is heartbreaking, that is the case.” 

CPS’s website reads“ Ensuring the safety of our students is our top priority” and through the mixed opinions among students as well as staff and administrators of Battle, four out of the six individuals interviewed have stated that they have seen a difference in less contraband being brought into our school.