KENOSHA — Students at Reuther High School and Harborside Academy walked through metal detectors for the very first time Thursday morning — completing a district-wide rollout that makes Kenosha Unified School District the latest to take a major step toward strengthening school security.
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As of Thursday, all six KUSD high schools have metal detectors. It's a change many parents had been asking for — and one that became urgent after multiple weapon-related incidents rocked the district earlier this year.
Back in February, the KUSD school board voted to spend nearly $473,500 on 18 walk-through metal detector units and 15 handheld wands — money that came directly from the district's general fund reserves. The system — called the CEIA OpenGate — can screen approximately 300 people every 15 minutes and was installed at Bradford, Indian Trail, Lakeview Technology Academy, Tremper, Harborside Academy, and Reuther High School.
Watch: KUSD completes metal detector rollout at all six high schools
The rollout began April 15th at Bradford and wrapped up Thursday morning at Reuther and Harborside — the last two schools in the district to receive the new security system.
The process is straightforward — students unzip their bags, remove large electronics like laptops and iPads, pass metal items around the detector, and walk through. If the system is alerted, students proceed to a secondary check.
Reuther High School Principal Kim Fisher says Thursday morning went smoother than expected.
"It honestly went better than we had anticipated — much better," Fisher said. "Staff has been fantastic about helping the kids prepare — showing videos, doing a backpack clean-out with kids in the classrooms."
For Fisher, the reason behind the new security measures is simple.
"Staff and student safety is the very first thing — it's what we do," she said. "We can't get to learning if we're not safe."
For many KUSD high school students, walking through a metal detector is now simply the new normal.
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