Metal detectors are coming to Springfield’s public high schools on a permanent basis.
The Springfield school board voted Monday night to acquire the devices for the city’s high schools, alternative education sites, and Lincoln Magnet School. A separate proposal to equip the other middle schools with metal detectors will be considered this summer. The board had to choose between two similar systems, and opted to purchase the Open Gate system at a cost of around $130,000, as opposed to leasing a different system for four years at a total cost of more than a million dollars.
The move follows several violent incidents at Springfield schools in recent months, including the stabbing death of a student outside Lanphier High School in November. The devices should be installed in two to six weeks.
