Last Updated on August 29, 2023, 9:13 PM | Published: August 29, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Public Schools announced Tuesday that it has accelerated its schedule to start using new weapons scanners at the gates of all athletic events in the district immediately.
The rapid move forward to put the system to use comes after a teen and an adult died from gunshot wounds at a football game in Choctaw Friday night.
The new type of scanner that does not alarm for small items like car keys is built to detect the presence of hidden weapons said Director of Security Wayland Cubit at a news conference Tuesday at district headquarters.
Starting immediately, the district will use the new Open Gate brand devices (see video below) by district security personnel backed up by Oklahoma City Police SROs.
The following is the plan released by OKCPS Tuesday:
Safety and Security Protocols for All Athletic Events Played at OKCPS Facilities
- School Resource Officers (SRO) and/or OKCPS Campus Security Officers will be present at all athletic events.
- An Open Gate Weapons Detection System will be at every athletic event. All individuals will be required to pass through Open Gate, including students, staff, families and other spectators.
- If an individual passing through the Weapons Detection System triggers an alarm, they will not be allowed entry.
- Small purses, no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches will be permitted. Bags that are necessary for medical equipment will be searched. No other bags or purses, including diaper bags, backpacks or tote bags will be permitted and the limit on bags is one per person.
- No unauthorized people will be allowed on the sidelines. Spectators are expected to stay in the designated area in the stands.
High School Athletic Events
- Only high school students who attend one of the high schools competing will be allowed admittance to the game. Students will be expected to present identification using their school ID or recent class schedule.
- An administrator from both the home and visiting teams will be present to verify the eligibility of students and visitors.
- No other students will be allowed to attend without being accompanied by an adult.
Middle School Athletic Events
- No students will be allowed to attend without being accompanied by an adult.
‘Safe place for kids’
At the news conference, Supt. Sean McDaniel spoke to reassure parents, students, and the public that OKCPS schools and school events are not dangerous places to be.
“Number one, I just want to reassure people, … school is a safe place for kids,” said McDaniel.
“No matter what we do, one of the most important things we can continue to do is to communicate with one another,” said McDaniel. “You know, we talked about if you hear something, if you see something, say something. And that’s not just a phrase. We use that as a meaningful protocol that we have in place in a school system. If you see something that is unusual, if you hear kids or others talking about things that make you concerned, say something to someone so that we can get involved.”
‘Feeling safe’
McDaniel turned over the mic to Wayland Cubit, Director of Security for the district.
“We believe that schools ought to be the safest place on earth,” said Cubit. “And that’s what we strive to do every day and our security department is creating a safe place for everybody. But feeling safe and being safe are two different things sometimes.”
Cubit said that after the shootings at the high school stadium in Choctaw Friday, his department spent the weekend going over the district’s security protocols.
“I’m happy to report that after examining, there are very few changes that need to be made from what we currently already do,” said Cubit.
However, there were several things that would be added to their game safety protocols according to Cubit:
- The Open Gate weapons detection systems will be rolled out for all athletic events.
- An administrator from each school playing will be at the gate “to make sure that only those kids with vested interests in the game, or belong to those particular schools that are competing in that event, attend those games.”
The following is a company-produced short video about the Open Gate system:
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
