KENOSHA — After two gun-related incidents at Bradford High School in just two days, the Kenosha Unified School District's safety committee will move to advance a security policy that could bring metal detectors and random student searches to district schools.
The timing couldn't be more urgent.
On Thursday, Kenosha police found multiple ammunition magazines on a 15-year-old Bradford student who was on a probation hold. Just one day earlier, officers recovered a loaded, concealed firearm from another student at the school. Last week, 16-year-old Bradford student Isaiah Cooper was shot and killed in what court documents reveal was a gun transaction gone wrong.
"It's not a matter of if it's going to happen here. It's a matter of when it's going to happen here, and we need to be ready for it," said Sabrina Landry, a Kenosha school board member who initiated the safety committee in December 2024.
District data reveals the scope of the problem facing Kenosha schools.
Before 2020, KUSD averaged about 28 weapons-related incidents per year, according to data reported to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. But after 2020, that number nearly doubled.
In the 2022-23 school year, KUSD reported 51 weapons incidents — the highest from the past five years. Last school year saw 41 incidents.
Over the past three school years alone, there have been 138 weapons-related incidents in KUSD schools. Those numbers include only cases that resulted in out-of-school suspensions or expulsions.
Watch: Two gun incidents in 48 hours KUSD parent warns ‘it’s a matter of when’ — calls for metal detectors
"Weapons-related incidents" include handguns, rifles, shotguns, knives, and other dangerous weapons capable of causing serious bodily harm.
The proposed Policy 5451 - Student Searches and Security Screenings would give school administrators broad authority to search students and their belongings.
Specifically, the policy allows:
Metal Detectors and Wanding:
• Random screenings of all students or a randomly selected group (such as every third student entering a building)
• Targeted searches when administrators have "reasonable suspicion" a student has a weapon
• Use at any time, including before school, during the day, or at events like athletic competitions and dances
Other Search:
• Searches of student lockers, desks, and storage areas at any time without notice or student consent
• Searches of vehicles parked on school property when there's reasonable suspicion or student consent
• Use of drug-sniffing dogs to detect illegal substances or harmful devices
According to the policy, students can request a staff member of the same gender conduct searches when possible. Students can refuse consent to searches, at which point law enforcement may be contacted. Parents must be notified after searches when possible.
"Every single one of their lives matter. We can't keep stalling and looking at a budget crisis or our credit score as a district against the safety of our students," Landry said. "We can't keep being reactive. We have to be proactive in these things."
The committee will recommend the policy to move forward to the full school board. The board will review and potentially vote on the policy at its regular meeting on February 24.
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