Random searches at Hempfield Area could continue in next school year
Hempfield Area School District’s safety and security committee is recommending the district continue with random searches of students into the new school year.
The committee is also recommending the district buy two weapons detectors to be used in random searches at the district’s two middle schools, Harrold school and the high school.
District officials initially sought $450,000 in state money to pay for more detectors, but their request wasn’t approved.
At a safety and security meeting Monday, the committee instead planned to recommend the board start by purchasing two of the weapons detectors
The machines cost about $18,000 each and were tested by the district earlier this year.
Random searches at the district started in the fall of 2023 and continued through the year, said Interim Superintendent Kimberlie Rieffannacht.
Committee chair Mike Alfery suggested that the two weapons detectors could be used for searches on random days, as well as at sporting events.
“I think it would make us more efficient in the random searches. It’s a lot easier for the students as well,” he said. “Then, down the road, if we do end up having them in every building, they are then more comfortable with what they should leave at home and what they could bring and things like that.”
Security upgrades have been a focus at Hempfield since October of last year, when three high school students were caught exchanging two loaded handguns on a bus and in a school bathroom. In the wake of the incident, the district formed the new safety committee, which has met multiple times since.
The district also has recently applied for a grant with the goal of installing vaping sensors within its buildings, and has increased lessons in schools to make students aware of the dangers of vaping, Rieffannacht said.
Related:
• Hempfield Area schools awaiting funding for weapons detector upgrades
• Hempfield Area makes it easier to search students with security policy update
• Police: 3 Hempfield high school students caught passing handguns, prompting lockdown
Julia Maruca is a TribLive reporter covering health and the Greensburg and Hempfield areas. She joined the Trib in 2022 after working at the Butler Eagle covering southwestern Butler County. She can be reached at jmaruca@triblive.com.
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