l. PURPOSE
The purpose of this administrative procedure is to implement the policy of Moorhead Area Public Schools concerning the use of safety and security technology in school buildings, school buses, and other property utilized by the school district to enhance the safety and security of pupils and employees. This administrative procedure is also intended to operate in conjunction with Moorhead School Board Policy 506: Student Discipline.
II. GENERAL STATEMENT
A. General Procedures for Use of Metal Detectors.
1. Metal detector searches may be conducted by a free-standing walk- through metal detector and/or a by hand-held wand metal detector. The use of either type of metal detector, or both, is solely within the discretion of the school district. The search is limited to a search for weapons.
2. "Weapons" include: articles designed or commonly used to inflict bodily harm and/or intimidate other persons. Examples are: firearms (loaded or unloaded), knives, clubs, metal knuckles, nunchucks, throwing stars, explosives, stun-guns, ammunition, chains, pellet guns, look-alike guns, and other non-functioning guns that could be used to threaten others.
3. "Person" or "persons" include: students, building employees and visitors.
4. All metal detector searches will be conducted by school officials (hereinafter "official") designated by the building administrator.
5. Notice that metal detector searches may be conducted on the school grounds and pursuant to this procedure will be provided to students and employees at the beginning of each school year, or at such other times as the school district deems appropriate prior to use. The school district will also maintain copies of this procedure in the school buildings utilizing this procedure and copies of the procedure will be distributed to members of the public upon their request.
6. The school district is not required to inform any person of the date and time a metal detector search will take place.
7. If the school district intends to conduct a search of all persons for weapons, arrangements for the presence of local law enforcement officials during the search should be made, to the extent possible, primarily for increased safety and the further search and removal of a weapon from a student, employee or visitor.
8. Permanent signs will be posted outside of the main entrance to the school building and in conspicuous places therein as deemed necessary by the building administrator. The notice will read: "NOTICE - Any and all students, employees, and visitors may be subject to a metal detector search for weapons on this campus at any time."
9. All persons entering the school building are subject to the search. Should the lines become too long, the building administrator, at his/her discretion, may decide to limit the search by any random formula, e.g. search every second or third person. No person may be singled out and subjected to a search unless there is a reasonable suspicion to believe that the person is in possession of a weapon.
10. The purpose of a metal detector search is solely to search for weapons. If other contraband (e.g. drugs, etc.) is found on the person during a search, and possession thereof is in violation of school district policy, rules or the law, the contraband is to be confiscated and the building administrator informed. The building administrator then determines the disciplinary action to be taken in accordance with Moorhead School Board Policy 506: Student Discipline.
11. "Reasonable suspicion" under this administrative procedure shall mean grounds to suspect that a search of the person will turn up evidence that the person possesses a weapon. Reasonable suspicion may be based on an official's personal observation of a person's behavior, the person's age, past history or record of conduct, a report from a student or employee, or other reliable source of information.
12. A student who finds a weapon on the way to school and is proceeding to take the weapon immediately to the principal's office must notify the official and produce the weapon prior to being subject to the metal detector search. A student taking such measures will not be considered in possession of a weapon.
13. The Moorhead School Board authorizes the school district administration to make the necessary finding that local conditions specifically relating to weapon-related incidents involving students, employees and visitors constitute reasonable grounds for suspecting that a metal detector search will turn up evidence that a student, employee, or visitor has violated, or is violating either law or school rules. The School Board further authorizes the school district administration to act upon such a finding.
B. Free-Standing Metal Detector Search.
1. Locate the metal detector inside of the school building entrance with one or two tables nearby for placement of the person's personal items.
2. As the person steps up to the metal detector, ask the person to empty his/her pockets onto the table and to surrender his/her jacket or coat and any bags or parcels the person may be carrying.
3. One official searches the person's jacket or coat and bag or parcels looking only for weapons.
a. The initial search of the person's personal items must be conducted only on the outside of the item, feeling for weapons.
b. If the official has a reasonable suspicion as a result of feeling the outside of the jacket or coat and bag or parcel, or from the weight of the item that a weapon is contained inside of the jacket or coat and bag or parcel, the official may open and look inside the jacket or coat and bag or parcel in search of a weapon.
c. If a weapon is found, remove the weapon from the item and seek assistance in escorting the student to the principal's office.
d. If a weapon is found in the jacket or coat and/or bag or parcel of an employee or visitor, immediately contact law enforcement for further action.
4. Simultaneously, another official asks the person to walk through the metal detector.
5. If the metal detector is not activated, direct the person to retrieve his/her belongings.
6. If the metal detector is activated;
a. Ask the person to remove all metal objects from his/her person and to place them on a table separate from the table for personal belongings. The building administrator or other school district administrator should be stationed near the table to assist in the retrieval of the weapon.
b. Ask the person to walk through the metal detector a second time.
c. If the student again activates the metal detector, escort the student to a designated private area away from the remaining student population where a more thorough search may be conducted.
d. If an employee or visitor again activates the metal detector, escort the person to a designated area away from the student population where law enforcement officials are present.
7. A more thorough search of students should be conducted as follows:
a. Have two officials of the same sex as the student present in the private area. One official will conduct the search, while the other official monitors the search.
b. Ask the student to remove any metal objects.
c. If the student refuses to remove the metal object that activated the metal detector, ask the student to indicate the area on his/her person where the metal object is located.
(1) If the school district has a hand-held metal detector available, follow the procedure set forth in C.1.h. and i.
(2) If the student indicates a specific area, conduct a pat-down of that specific area, looking for the object which activated the metal detector.
(3) If the student refuses to indicate where the metal object is located, and the official has a reasonable suspicion that the student is possessing a weapon, the official may conduct a pat-down search of the student focused on finding the metal object that activated the metal detector.
d. If an object is discovered, ask the student to remove the object.
f. After a metal object, not a weapon, is removed from the student, ask the student to walk through the metal detector again. If the metal detector is not activated, the search is terminated.
g. If the metal detector is activated, return to step 7 and continue until metal object activating the metal detector is located.
C. Hand-Held Metal Detector.
1. The Person.
a. The official conducting the search first approaches the person and verbally explains the scanning process.
b. Female persons are scanned by female officials. Male persons are scanned only by male officials.
c. Ask the person to place any bag or parcel on a nearby table and to remove any metal objects from the their pocket.
d. If a person refuses to cooperate, the official is to notify the building administrator, who will be present nearby, to monitor the search.
e. If the person cooperates, and while the principal is monitoring, the official scans the front and back of the person with the hand-held metal detector beginning at the person's toes and continuing up to the head without actually touching the body.
f. If the device is not activated, direct the person to retrieve his/her belongings.
g. If the scanning devise is activated:
(1) Ask the person to remove all metal objects and place them on a nearby table.
(2) Conduct a second scan of the person, identical to the first scan.
(3) If the scanner is not activated, and the person did not place a weapon on the table, direct the person to retrieve his/her belongings.
h. If the scanner is activated twice by an employee or visitor and the person cannot or will not remove the metal object activating the scanner, escort the person to a private area away from the student population where law enforcement officials are present.
i. If the scanner is again activated by a student, escort the student to the designated private area away from the remaining student population where a more thorough search will be conducted.
(1) Two officials, the same sex as the student, will be present in the private area. One official will conduct the search, while the other official monitors the search.
(2) Ask the student to remove any metal objects.
(3) If the student fails to remove any metal object, scan the student again, identical to the previous scans.
(4) If the scanner is again activated, conduct a pat-down search precisely where the scanner was activated searching only for the presence of metal that activated the scanning device.
j. If an object is located:
(1) Ask the student to remove the object.
(2) If the student refuses to remove it, the official then removes the object from the student.
(3) Scan the student again.
(a) If the device is not activated, the search is terminated.
(b) If the scanning device is activated, return to step h(2), and continue until the metal object activating the scanner is located and retrieved.
k. If a weapon is found as a result of the search, follow normal school district policy and procedure regarding the notification of police and student discipline.
2. Bags and parcels, etc.
a. Ask the person to place the bag or parcel on a table or some other place apart from the person.
b. Scan the bag around the outside with the metal detector.
c. If the scanner is not activated return the bag or parcel to the person.
d. If the scanner is activated, ask the person to open the bag or parcel.
(1) Look in the bag near the place where the scanner was activated and remove any object that might have activated the scanner.
(2) After removing an object, rescan the bag.
(3) If no other object is detected, terminate the search.
e. If a weapon is found as a result of the search of a student's possessions, follow normal school district policy and procedure regarding the notification of police and student discipline.
f. If a weapon is found in an employee's or visitor's possession as a result of the search, immediately notify law enforcement officials for further action.