New Britian schools considering metal detectors in buildings

New Britain school leaders and community members are gathering at New Britain High School for a conversation about metal detectors in schools.

Tonight’s meeting is for the broader community to share their thoughts on putting metal and weapon detectors in schools.

Right now, it's something the New Britain Board of Education says they're exploring, with no decisions made yet.

We spoke with New Britain residents about their thoughts on metal detectors in schools.

"I think that it's something that should have happened a long time ago,” said Cassandra Thompkins, an alum of New Britain High School.

She says she thinks metal detectors would boost the safety and peace of mind for those in school buildings.

“Things are a lot worse now than even when I was in school and it wasn’t that long ago,” she said.

Many in the community share her sentiment.

"It’s a good way to keep the kids protected, especially nowadays with everything happening,” said Sam, of New Britain, who says she has friends and family who work in the schools.

"You never know what kids are gonna bring today,” agrees Ray Couette, of New Britain.

But it's also a topic some have mixed emotions about.

"It feels military-like. It feels scary,” said Francie of New Britain.

Some told us they'd also like to see solutions to address what they say is the root of the problem.

"People who shouldn't have guns still get guns. To me that would be the biggest thing to work on,” said Adrienne Benjamin of New Britain.  

But, as far as metal detectors go. “If it keeps people safe, I guess I’m for that, safety is the most important,” she said.

These are the opinions welcomed at tonight's meeting.

In a statement, New Britain Board of Education President Joey Listro says in part:

"There are a lot of factors that go into this and we want to emphasize that no decisions will be made without first hearing from the broader community."

The National Center for Education Statistics says 2 percent of schools in the country do metal detector checks on students every day.

The Connecticut Department of Education does not track how many schools have metal detectors. We know some schools in the state, like in Hamden and Hartford, have used them before.

The New Britain Board of Education says the earliest they could vote on this topic would be on Nov. 4.

Tonight's meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the high school.