Arkadelphia school board moves forward with purchase of equipment to detect weapons, vape pens -

By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com

A pair of portable metal detectors will soon be property of the Arkadelphia Public School District.

The $37,761 purchase was given a unanimous nod Tuesday by the Arkadelphia Board of Education. Approval from the school board was required since the purchase exceeded administration’s spending threshold of $20,000.

Larger school districts in Arkansas, including some in Little Rock, use the same model of Opengate weapons detection systems. In Arkadelphia, the detectors will be primarily stationed at the entrance to Arkadelphia High School and Goza Middle School, Superintendent Nikki Thomas said. The lightweight detectors are portable, so the district has plans to use them not only at the entrances of the high school and middle school but also at sporting events and graduation ceremonies.

“If you want to pick up vape pens, you can dial them up to where they can pick up a paper clip.” — Blake Bell, Arkadelphia School Board president

Thomas said she hopes to purchase more in the future so that all campuses are equipped with a weapons detector. It was noted that the existing detection equipment at AHS will continue to be used, likely at another entrance.

The current walk-through detector has slowed students’ morning routine of entering the hallways as it sounds an alarm at keys, phones and even three-ring binders.

Opengate weapons detection systems are said to expedite the throughput of crowds of people carrying bags, and detect shapes and metal densities, with the capability of also detecting dismantled firearms.

Board president Blake Bell said the Opengate system has the additional capabilities to dial its sensitivity to pick up on vape pens, which many high school students are prone to use.

“This is the newest technology for weapon detecting,” Bell said. “[But] if you want to pick up vape pens, you can dial them up to where they can pick up a paper clip.”

At the motion of Matt Johnson the board voted 6-0 to appropriate funds to cover the expense. The Opengate detectors are expected to arrive by February or March 2024.

In other business, the board gave unanimous approval to expenditures for the 2025-26 fiscal year.