Officials at a Fort Wayne high school confiscated a gun from a student Tuesday morning after the teen set off a weapons detection security system.
The Fort Wayne Community Schools leader confirmed the gun found at Snider High School was the first caught by the Opengate equipment, which should be at all schools after the new year.
The security system is funded by the Safer FWCS referendum voters approved last fall. The ballot measure allows the district to collect up to $12 million in property taxes a year for eight years to support safety and well-being initiatives.
appAs I see what happened this morning, I am so grateful that we did go after a referendum, that we are being proactive in regards to weapon detections,app Superintendent Mark Daniel told reporters hours after the incident.
The student will go through an expulsion hearing app an automatic consequence anytime a weapon is involved, Daniel said, citing a federal law.
Identifying information about the student, such as gender and grade level, was not released.
The incident happened as students were entering Snider for the school day, Principal Chad Hissong said in a message to families.
The teen was immediately isolated once the Opengate system alerted officials to the potential risk of a weapon, Hissong said, and the security team found a gun during a search of the studentapps bag.
Hissong noted the weapon was immediately confiscated and secured.
appI sincerely appreciate our staffapps attentiveness to the security of our school and the quick action in handling this without additional disruption and allowing our students and staff to continue with our regular school day,app Hissong said in the message.
The school board agreed in March to spend $1.4 million on the security system, which was piloted last academic year at South Side High School.
The equipment app two 25-pound freestanding pillars powered by batteries app is portable, allowing FWCS to screen people attending other school activities, such as athletic events, officials have said.
The devices are in all FWCS middle and high schools along with half of the elementary buildings, Daniel said.
appCome Jan. 1, with the new budget, weappll then have them in all of our schools,app he added.
Student advocates app new employees funded by the referendum app operate the weapon detectors and respond to Opengate alerts for visitors throughout the day, Matt Schiebel told the board Monday. He is executive director of safety and community partnerships.
Next yearapps $12 million Safer FWCS spending plan budgeted nearly $4.2 million for student advocates, whose other responsibilities include building relationships with students and checking that school doors are locked and operable.
appWe could not do this without the referendum dollars,app Daniel said.
He added students and families have been receptive to the extra security measure.
appI absolutely sense that our families, our students, are understanding the reason and are being very, very cooperative,app Daniel said. appCouldnappt have asked for a greater level of cooperation.app
Tuesdayapps incident at Snider happened about two months after a gun was confiscated from a student at Amp Lab at Electric Works, which at that time did not have the Opengate system. The student, who cooperated with staff and police, made no threats to staff or classmates.
Hissong encouraged students to tell an adult about situations in which they believe their safety or security is in jeopardy so potential threats can be immediately addressed and remedied.
