EF to increase safety measures, may buy new weapon-detection system

The football team plays tonight against South Park.

In the wake of a gun being fired outside of a recent football game outside of South Allegheny’s Gladiator Stadium, officials at Elizabeth Forward are looking to increase security moving forward.

Liberty Borough said a Pittsburgh teen would be charged as an adult after firing a shot from a stolen gun Aug. 28 outside Gladiator Stadium, during a South Allegheny versus Elizabeth Forward football game.

While no one was injured, both school districts have increased safety measures.

Elizabeth Forward Superintendent Keith Konyk addressed some of those safety proceedings during Wednesday’s school board committee of the whole meeting.

“There are some new safety protocols,” Konyk said. “Those have been pushed out to all the parents in email form. This is of course to take some safety measures to make our stadiums a little more safe, so we please ask everyone to get (to the games) a little early if there are delays.”

Some of the new precautions include a clear bag policy, no reentry into the stadium, students 13 yearsold and under being asked to have an adult with them and increased security presence from school safety officers and local police, according to Konyk.

According to the information sent out to parents, weapon detectors will be available at the entrance of the district’s stadium and other stadiums. All spectators must enter through the main gate near the ticket booth.

Only clear bags are allowed in the stadium with the exception of small bags the appropriate size of a cell phone, medical necessities and diaper bags, according to the release.

All bags are subject to search, security personnel will be monitoring security cameras and no spectators are permitted to enter the stadium after the conclusion of the second quarter.

Weapon-detection systems to be voted on

Next week, the board will vote on purchasing three sets of OpenGate Weapon Detection Systems from Open-Gate/CEIA for $80,057.

According to CEIA product- information pages, the Opengate system consists of a pair of stanchions that detect the presence of concealed weapons, such as guns, knives, or explosives, on somebody’s person or bags using “advanced sensors and algorithms.” The stanchions of the system are portable and weigh only 25 pounds, allowing them to be moved and deployed at various locations.

“Something important about them is that they are portable,” Konyk said. “We are talking about large events that we are having, and we could move these around, and use them as we move them, whether for large events or for buildings where there are safety concerns.”

Thomas Jefferson High School and Steel Center use the detection systems at their schools, according to Konyk, and administrators were impressed with the systems.

There is also a possibility of getting funding for the detection system from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) School Safety and Mental Health grants that are also open, Konyk added. The submission deadline is Oct. 16, and the district plans on applying.

Dr. Randal Sydeski, director of personnel and student services, said the company would train staff to use the detection systems, as well as attend the first large-scale event the detection systems are used at. The cost for the detection systems includes training.

Social media policy change

The school board also will vote on a revision to the district’s social media policy, which includes updating policy’s related to the public commenting on district social media posts.

Director of Digital Teaching and Learning Alison De-Marco said that after speaking with district Solicitors Megan Turnbull and Grace Delaney, changes to the policies language and how comments are monitored were discussed.

“A thing to consider would be that currently we are a designated public forum, which means that comments are encouraged by the public, but those need to be monitored and of course considered under protected speech,” DeMarco said.

Under the United States’ First Amendment’s freedom of speech laws, DeMarco said the district would have to have someone regularly monitor those comments.

According to Delaney, the United States Supreme Court has heard cases for exceptions to the First Amendment, and because of that, there are very defined exceptions, including lewd, vulgar and obscene language. The comments that the district can delete are very limited.

“What you currently have is profane language,” Delaney said. “Profane would be protected by the First Amendment, but if you put the language of obscene, lewd and vulgar, that’s unprotected speech, which would not be subject to the First Amendment, and comments that you can remove. We’re just switching the language legally so you are compliant with First Amendment exceptions.”

DeMarco said the district can also choose to move to a non-public forum, making the social media pages for information dissemination purposes only, such as announcements and public information items.

“In which case, we wouldn’t need to monitor comments, and that entire section that covers monitoring comments, we would remove from the policy,” DeMarco added. “We are bringing it back for consideration, and for you all to consider whether you would like a public forum or a non-public forum.”

According to Delaney, if the district were to go to a non-public forum, the district will be taking off the comment section altogether on social media platforms, and it would minimize staff time for them to review commentary.

Konyk added that the district’s website is a policing matter in terms of monitoring what is being said, and it would be for all social media accounts.

“There’s a lot of other forums on Facebook if you want to talk about things that are happening in the district,” he said. “There’s a lot of them out there. You are welcome to use one of those to make a comment, but I think ultimately it’s a decision the board has to make.”

““ There are some new safety protocols. Those have been pushed out to all the parents in email form. This is of course to take some safety measures to make our stadiums a little more safe, so we please ask everyone to get (to the games) a little early if there are delays.”

KEITH KONYK

EF SUPERINTENDENT