A program that deploys mobile metal detectors to New York City public schools has been halted due to a complete breakdown of the scanning equipment, ChalkBeat reports. This comes according to officials from the New York City Police Department and the New York City Department of Education.
How is the city responding to the equipment failure?
The NYPD’s School Safety Division, which normally conducts random screenings at three to four schools daily, said in an emergency procurement request that it currently has no functioning X-ray machines, rendering the unannounced scanning unit inoperable.
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To address the issue, the city’s Department of Education issued an emergency contract to purchase 15 new scanners at a cost of nearly $385,000. This move bypasses the standard requirement for prior approval from the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP), a 24-member body that typically votes on such contracts.
How will this impact school safety?
The disruption comes amid heightened concerns over school safety. Earlier this year, around 120 school staff and administrators signed an open letter urging the city to replace broken scanners and increase the staffing of school safety agents, which has reportedly declined by 28% over the past five years.
In the first quarter of the current school year, city data shows 10 guns were confiscated. During the 2023-24 school year, 6,000 “weapons or dangerous instruments” were recovered by authorities, including 14 guns.
What happens next?
Education officials confirmed the new scanners have not yet been delivered and did not specify how long the scanning operations have been inactive. The PEP is scheduled to vote on a retroactive contract for the new scanners during a meeting on April 30.
