The weapon detection system at Castor Gardens Middle School, where two staff members were stabbed, does not detect knives

The student who stabbed two Castor Gardens Middle School staff members this week was able to get through the school’s gun detection system without being flagged Doesn’t recognize most knives.

The news came as the union voted for Philadelphia school security officials sounded the alarm about the systems touted by Superintendent Tony B. Watlington as part of his strategic plan.

Bernadette Ambrose-Smith, president of the School Police Association of Philadelphia, said she asked the district to discuss concerns about OpenGate, the gun detection system. Even its members were not adequately trained to operate it, Ambrose-Smith said, and the district allowed non-safety personnel to review their objections – without any training.

At Castor Gardens, Ambrose-Smith said, the school’s security officer did not conduct a weapons detection on the student who brought the knife to school.

“In my opinion, this is a recipe for disaster,” Ambrose-Smith said. “This is about the safety of our children.”

The stabbing happened on Tuesday when an 11-year-old special education student stabbed a support professional and an air conditioning worker in Castor Gardens in the North East. One of the employees was treated at a hospital and released; the other did not require medical treatment.

The student was released to his parents and has not been charged.

However, questions remain as to how a student could get into school with a knife.

“From talking to several school principals, I understand that there are things that they’re worried that these machines won’t even pick up,” Ambrose-Smith said.

A spokesman for the company that makes OpenGate said it couldn’t comment on what the system detects because of an ongoing investigation, but asked whether OpenGate had detected Messer. Monique Braxton, a district spokeswoman, said, “That is not the case.”

” READ MORE: Two Castor Gardens Middle School employees were stabbed because of an “epic administrative failure,” union leader says

“Minimally invasive” weapons detection is part of the commissioner’s plan

Watlington has touted OpenGate as part of his strategic plan, but acknowledged its limitations: “OpenGate technology identifies security threats by detecting specific types of weapons, such as: B. Assault rifles (it is not designed to detect minor threats such as knives). “)

All Philadelphia high schools have traditional metal detectors. In 2022, the district conducted regular gun inspections at all middle schools and elementary schools with intermediate grades in light of the increasing number of violent incidents among younger students.

In 2023, then-school security chief Kevin Bethel announced that each of the district’s 12 middle schools would have what he called “minimally invasive” weapon detection. The system uses artificial intelligence to scan students as they enter the building. Unlike metal detectors, the devices do not require students to remove their backpacks or be searched. Instead, they move between two parallel bars and an alarm is triggered if a weapon is detected.

“I was looking for something that wouldn’t exacerbate the trauma of young people,” Bethel, now the city’s police commissioner, said in August 2023. “We found this was a less intrusive, very minimal way to do it.”

The 2024-25 school budget included $1.6 million for “gun detection scanning devices.”

Concerns about inadequate training

When the minimally invasive weapon detection system was tested, Ambrose-Smith said her union reported it to district officials; Headteachers were apparently given instructions to assign the staff they wanted to carry out the scan.

The union, concerned about safety, asked to negotiate with the district over the issue, but school system officials ignored the request, Ambrose-Smith said.

Even school security officers now receive less training than before, she said, and have not received formal training on how to use the weapon detection system. Braxton disputed this and said employees were trained to operate the system.

Ambrose-Smith said students often place items containing metal on a table before going through the scan – computers, but also metal lunch boxes and other items. Those items will not be searched, she said; Students simply pick them up after they go through the scan and are on their way.

Security officers in general are concerned about inadequate training, Ambrose-Smith said. The employees were previously referred to as school police officers, but under Bethel the term school security officer was introduced because the force would focus more on mentoring and less on law and order.

“Our responsibility has not diminished, it has grown. It’s great for us to be coaching and mentoring – now they’ve made it part of our agenda. We have gained more responsibility and more disrespect,” Ambrose-Smith said.

Officers used to wear police uniforms; Now they wear polo shirts.

“It’s a polo shirt that’s the same color as some housekeepers and some food service workers,” Ambrose-Smith said. “We don’t wear a badge, so sometimes we don’t even get recognized in the crowd.”