After two recent gun scares, Upper Darby School Board unanimously adopts new weapons detection system

UPPER DARBY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The Upper Darby School District is installing a new weapons detection system at three schools. The move comes after two gun-related incidents at Upper Darby High School earlier this school year.

The school board on Tuesday voted unanimously in favor of the new system at a special meeting.

“In a metal detector, there is an X-ray scanning of bags and information like that. This is more … similar to what you find at sporting venues, making sure that specific metals or what appears to be a gun are ruled out of being in a venue,” Superintendent Daniel McGarry said.

With the Evolv weapons detection system, he said they can “process through probably around 2,000 students in about 15 to 20 minutes per one of the lanes.”

McGarry said the weapon detection system will be implemented at Beverly Hills Middle School, Drexel Hill Middle School, and Upper Darby High School. Earlier this month at the high school, one student was found with a loaded handgun , and just days later, another was found with an AR-style magazine.

“We’re really trying to reduce the likelihood of a gun in our secondary schools, and that’s the real reason for this implementation,” said the superintendent.

“A lot of schools that we’ve visited have this in place. And obviously, we have visited local large sporting venues that have the same technology in place.”

McGarry said the new machines are part of a multifaceted approach the district is taking to protect students.

“This would just be another layer to what we have in place. I think what people are expecting is an absolute perfect environment. Nothing is absolute. And I don’t think that this product is absolute. But it’s another layer in the several layers we have in the district.”

The weapons detection systems are expected to be in place at the schools in the next four to six weeks at a cost of $1.1 million over the next four years.