CMS to resume weapon, safety screenings after fights, firearms mar start of school
Nearly a week after four incidents involving fights and firearms took place in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the district sent an email to parents informing them that “safety screens will soon resume.”
Multiple juveniles were charged with crimes, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police and school resource officers found several guns during the first few days of classes, department Capt. Brian Sanders said during a news conference last week.
The point of the screenings will be to keep weapons out of school and minimize disruptions during classes, CMS said in the email sent Monday night.
Schools, buildings or classrooms — not individual students — will be randomly selected for the screenings. All students in a selected classroom, building or school will have to participate in the screenings.
There’s no exact date or time when schools may be selected for screening, CMS said. Parents will receive an online Blackboard message from their student’s principal when a screening begins at their school, and another message when it is completed.
Screenings will be conducted with no-touch metal detectors by trained staff with support from law enforcement, CMS said. All bags will be visually inspected, and no student will be allowed to leave school during the screenings.
The last time CMS instituted these random weapons screenings came in January 2019, following the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Bobby McKeithen at Butler High School on Oct. 28, 2018.
“Our staff, parents and students all wish safety screenings were not needed, but weapons must not be in our schools,” the email reads. “Thank you for helping to keep weapons out of our schools.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 4:50 PM.
