No magic in the wands this academic year
Find out why the school board won't use the metal detectors on students
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The draft Code of Conduct, under which all of the Saratoga City School District will operate in the coming year, runs 36 pages and on page 32, one new line stands out in red: “This may include utilizing a portable handheld metal detector often referred to colloquially as a ‘wand’ by a trained school administrator.”
That line was the only one discussed by the school board on Thursday June 26, and after a quick hand vote, it was struck from the draft rules.
The full paragraph in which the red line ran is in the Student Searches and Interrogations section:
“In addition, the Board of Education authorizes the Superintendent or their designee, Building Principals or their designee, the school nurse and District security officials to conduct searches of students, their vehicles, and their belongings if the authorized school official has reasonable suspicion to believe that the search will result in evidence that the student violated the law or the District Code of Conduct. This may include utilizing a portable handheld metal detector often referred to colloquially as a “wand” by a trained school administrator. For students found to be in possession of drugs, drug paraphernalia, e-cigarettes or vaping devices, or vaping paraphernalia, the search may include conducting a field test to ascertain the chemical nature of the contents found. This is done, in part, due to the safety risks posed by the contents if ingested.” (We added the hot link in red to the full Code of Conduct.)
The board discussion about that line dealt mainly with vaping and e-cigarettes. The red ink indicates that it is a new addition to the code which must be approved next month.
Most board members wondered about the intrusiveness of the wand use and whether it would fix the problem.
Board Vice President Tony Krackeler was not convinced that the data supported the use of wands to deter vaping, and also about the “optics” of using the wands on students.
“I want to give you all the tools that you need to in order to minimize it [vaping] in this district,” Krackeler said to the school administrators in the room, but he ultimately could not support the line because he felt it infringed too much on the students’ civil rights, he said. “I'm just telling the board that I can't support it.”
Trustee Dean Kolligian Jr. reminded the board that it was for overall security, not just to find vaping paraphrenalia.
Still, when President Anjeanette Emeka took a quick straw poll from the board to see who was in support, only Dean Kolligian Jr. and John Bruggemann raised their hands. Along with Krackeler, trustees Natalya Lakhtakia, Beth Braxton, and Matt Kopans did not support the line.
“OK, then, that’s a majority right there,” Emeka said. “So we will take it out.”
The full code will be taken up at the board’s July 24 meeting.