RICHMOND, Va. -- The Richmond School Board adopted a clear backpack policy for elementary school students at Monday night's meeting.
The board debated adding weapons detectors to elementary schools but decided more research needed to be done to prove those detectors were worth the reported $4 million price tag.
The Richmond Public Schools administration said it believed it could provide backpacks to every RPS elementary school student for $60,000.
All students in Henrico County Schools, kindergarten through 12th grade, will pass through a weapons detector before entering school next school year. The scanners, with advanced heat detectors, can pick up the presence of weapons without being overly sensitive to school items often carried by students like water bottles and smaller three-ring binders.
The scanners are also lightweight and may appear less intimidating.
While Richmond Public Schools (RPS) previously implemented weapons detectors in middle and high schools, last March the administration proposed exploring the possibility of adding them to elementary schools.
A recent survey given to parents, staff, and teachers showed that 46% of people surveyed strongly agreed that metal detectors should be utilized in elementary schools.
Seventeen percent strongly disagreed.
At Monday's meeting, some board members voiced concerns about the cost, the negative messages that metal detectors can send, and the detectors' effectiveness.
"It will not deter drugs, it will not deter vapes, it will not deter pills," Richmond School Board member Dr. Shonda Harris-Muhammed said.
In March 2024, a three-year-old boybrought a loaded gun to Maymont Preschool. A staff member reported the student and police took the gun. A relative of the child was charged with allowing access to firearms by children. In February 2024, a second-grade student brought a loaded gun to Oak Grove/Bellemeade Elementary School. No one was injured in either incident.
