Weapon scanners are now permanent at Annandale HS
By Shane Gomez
Passing through a weapon detection scanner is now a permanent procedure for students arriving at Annandale High School.
The scanners were set up at Annandale to help staff prepare for the start of the 2025-26 school year, when weapon detection scanners will be implemented in all high schools, according to a May 29 email to staff from Annandale Principal Shawn DeRose.
Fairfax County Public Schools launched a pilot program for weapon detectors this spring, which included a one-day test run at Annandale’s main entrance on May 15. Since May 30, the scanners have been added at doors 7 and 10.
Related story: FCPS launches weapon detection pilot
The scanners, free-standing towers, are operated by staff members and set aside when the school day begins.
Before students enter, they must remove from their backpacks any items that could set off a false alarm, such as laptops, three-ring binders, collapsible umbrellas, metal lunch boxes, metal pencil cases, and metal glasses cases. If an alarm sounds, the student must pass a secondary screening.
“We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and support in our shared commitment to maintaining a safe learning environment for us all,” DeRose wrote in a May 29 email to families announcing the permanent weapons detection program.
In April, FCPS announced it would randomly select high schools for a weapon detection system pilot. The move came after two students at Edison High School were charged with bringing a gun on school property on Feb. 20 and two teenagers were charged a week later with brandishing a gun at Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School.
Weapon detection scanners at some of the other pilot schools, including Edison High School and West Potomac High School, where a student was stabbed on April 23, have also become permanent.
Students at Annandale High School have complained about long lines at entrances every morning, resulting in some students being marked as tardy.
“It’s a bit of a struggle because it does make me late sometimes due to having to take items out of my bag, which is very annoying,” said 11th-grader Alex Gardner. She leaves home earlier now so she can make it to class on time.
“We expect the process to get easier every day,” DeRose wrote in his email to families.
The OpenGate scanners, from the company CEIA, are more sensitive than traditional metal detectors, which makes them better at identifying weapons rather than metal in general, according to a FAQ page from FCPS. They use low-frequency electromagnetic fields instead of traditional X-ray systems that rely on ionizing radiation.
According to FCPS, “the screening process is completely safe for all individuals, including children, pregnant women, and those with pacemakers or other medical devices.”
Shane Gomez is Annandale Today’s intern. A graduate of Annandale High School, Shane is a student at The New School in New York City.
At this point I would take my child out of public education. This is embarrassing and dehumanizing, a student shouldn’t have to do this in order to receive basic education. Annandale has gone down the drain.
As a former principal at AHS the safety & security of our students, faculty & staff was always my highest priority. However, it’s a sad commentary on our society today when students in FCPS have to be scanned for weapons when entering school on a daily basis. But, it is what it is and “a pound of prevention is worth an ounce of cure.”
John Ponton
AHS Princpal (2005-11)
You were one of the best!!
I repeat – Fairfax schools and Fairfax County in general are now a third-world shit hole -thank you Democrats. But hey – the Democrats running for Gov, Lt. Gov and Congress all vow to stop Trump and fight for democracy! LMAO.
Lol. Because the county is investing in technology to keep there from being a mass shooting, it’s a thirdworld shithole?
What then would you call all the following places:
Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Virginia) – April 16, 2007: 55 total victims (32 killed, 23 injured)
University of Texas Tower (Austin, Texas) – August 1, 1966: 46 total victims (15 killed, 31 injured)
Robb Elementary School (Uvalde, Texas) – May 24, 2022: 39 total victims (21 killed, 18 injured)
Columbine High School (Littleton, Colorado) – April 20, 1999: 37 total victims (13 killed, 24 injured)
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Florida) – February 14, 2018: 34 total victims (17 killed, 17 injured)
Sandy Hook Elementary School (Newtown, Connecticut) – December 14, 2012: 28 total victims (26 killed, 2 injured)
Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, Illinois) – February 14, 2008: 27 total victims (6 killed, 21 injured)
Santa Fe High School (Santa Fe, Texas) – May 18, 2018: 23 total victims (10 killed, 13 injured)
Umpqua Community College (Roseburg, Oregon) – October 1, 2015: 17 total victims (9 killed, 8 injured)
Red Lake Senior High School (Red Lake, Minnesota) – March 21, 2005: 16 total victims (9 killed, 7 injured)
Santana High School (Santee, California) – March 5, 2001: 15 total victims (2 killed, 13 injured)
Apalachee High School (Winder, Georgia) – September 4, 2024: 13 total victims (4 killed, 9 injured)
Oikos University (Oakland, California) – April 2, 2012: 10 total victims (7 killed, 3 injured)
Abundant Life Christian School (Madison, Wisconsin) – December 16, 2024: 8 total victims (2 killed, 6 injured)
Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan) – February 13, 2023: 8 total victims (3 killed, 5 injured)
The Covenant School (Nashville, Tennessee) – March 27, 2023: 7 total victims (6 killed, 1 injured)
Richmond (High School Graduation) (Richmond, Virginia) – June 6, 2023: 7 total victims (2 killed, 5 injured)
Rancho Tehama Elementary School (Rancho Tehama, California) – November 14, 2017: 6 total victims (5 killed, 1 injured)
Chardon High School (Chardon, Ohio) – February 27, 2012: 6 total victims (3 killed, 3 injured)
Marysville Pilchuck High School (Marysville, Washington) – October 24, 2014: 5 total victims (4 killed, 1 injured)
Are you serious? Who is the party that refuses to even discuss common sense gun legislation? It’s not the Democrats. The reason our kids are not safe in school is because the Republicans refuse to pass laws that will keep our kids safe despite children getting gunned down in their schools. Your statement is beyond pathetic and shows how clueless you truly are.
Clueless?!? I’ll have you know the Founding Fathers wanted us to have automatic weapons. It’s in the Constitution somewhere.
You think the average citizen should have access to an automatic weapon?? Why? Why would a civilian need that? We wouldn’t be in this situation with metal detectors if the Republicans passed common sense gun legislation. But they have refused. Children have been gunned down in their schools Wake up!
Oh my god, get out of here you delirious troll!!
I needed a laugh today, but that’s just too far off the reality map! You. Need. Help.
A laugh over innocent children being gunned down in their schools? That statement is a reflection of what is so wrong with our society.
Why do you think the metal detectors are being installed at all?!
Absolutely not. I was responding to Mark’s 11:45 comment.
These weapons detectors scanners were designed for places such as government buildings, airports, and other buildings where the process is able to be controlled specifically at both entrances/exits. They will not work to keep out an external threat at all. As far as the internal threat which are the students it will not keep out a lone wolf or a student that is intent on being a school shooter! That student/school shooter could circumvent this process a multitude of ways. They could just come in the front parking lot and start shooting at the students in lines, they could come in the school and shoot then, they could just not come in any of the entrances that have the detectors or they could just place there weapon outside the school near another exit and then go get it anytime during the day. They would simply just prop the door open and then come in and the only way to stop them or at least mitigate the amount of students maimed or killed would be with an armed officer/SRO. These detectors are not as effective as school security personnel, locked entrance/exit doors, exterior cameras which are continually monitored throughout the school day(without enough personnel is not happening), and with an armed law enforcement officer/SRO or trained/armed security. One of the most important factors that is often overlooked is that the See Something Say Something message that should be emphasized over and over to students. This critical intelligence piece is very important and the way to make this more effective is for staff to communicate effectively with our students in positive manners. This relationship is often the reason that students report these things to staff so that we can be proactive as opposed to reactive when it comes to possible situations of a student threatening violence or possibly having a weapon in schools. The millions of dollars the county spent on these weapons detectors could have been better spent on more personnel, cameras, student training/awareness, drills, and ensuring an SRO or trained armed officer is in every school. This armed officer will be the last lone of defense in the event of an active shooter until other law enforcement arrive. The major difference between a school and all these other places where these weapons detectors are is that not only is there are minimal entrances/exits but, they are controlled in all areas! For instance try getting into an airport for your flight without going through this process, or a federal or other government building, a sports stadium event such as Jiffy Lube or interior forum. All have one or a few entrances and the exits are all secured, locked or controlled access with security personnel. Many schools especially high schools in the county have at least 15+ exterior doors which are secured/closed however, they can be breached at anytime as they cannot all be monitored the entire school day except maybe with a camera and are not alarmed. However, even with a camera that is being monitored it will not stop a lone wolf bad actor from getting into the school to do harm to others. Anyone who knows anything about real security should understand that school security is different then the security of work places, government buildings, sports stadiums/forums, airports, and other places that are not deemed to be soft targets. For example, a mall would also be an impossible place to protect and secure even with weapons detectors unless at every door. Even with the best security apparatus a place can and has been breached by a bad person with the intent on doing harm to others which sadly is the world we live in.