Metal detectors were installed at both the main and rock entrances of McLean on Tuesday, Sept. 2. The new development comes after a successful pilot program for the FCPS weapons detection system in spring 2025—starting this year, FCPS has begun rolling out the metal detectors in various secondary schools around the county.
Before walking through the metal detectors, students were told to remove computers, binders and water bottles from their backpacks, objects that could potentially set off the technology.
“Taking everything out of my bag is a huge hassle,” senior Larkin Furry said. “We already live in a really safe place. We don’t need metal detectors.”
On Tuesday morning, the lines for the detectors at both doors appeared daunting, reaching almost to the mods from the main entrance and wrapping around the outside of the cafeteria from the rock entrance. The line at the main door was especially long.
“The front door was really bad,” junior Emerson Theibert said. “I got to school at 7:50, and the back of the line was already at the mods. I didn’t get into school until 8:09.”
Despite their name, scanning for metals is not the primary function of the new weapons detection system.
“They’re not really metal detectors,” said Melissa Brady, former Acting Principal. “I like to tell people they’re like shape detectors. So many things have metal in them. They are looking for certain metals, but they’re looking for more of a shape.”
The detectors aren’t just for protecting against violence—the screening is also intended to cut down on the number of harmful substances being brought onto school grounds.
“I think [the detectors] will reduce the amount of drugs or vapes coming into the building, which positively impacts student well-being and safety,” social studies teacher Joseph Dwyer said.
The McLean metal detectors function the same way as metal detectors at concerts, which also means that they’re mobile. The detectors only present at main building entrances in the morning before first and second period, meaning that students who have their first class in the mods don’t pass through them.
“My second period is in the mods, so I didn’t need to enter through the metal detectors,” senior Kaj Behr said. “It really makes them seem pointless. There’s no point in putting them in if only some students have to pass through them.”
The detectors may have been put in place for the purpose of keeping students safer, but there are concerns about the effect they will have on student’s perception of school.
“I worry that the implementation of the metal detectors changes the nature of the educational environment into more of a ‘prison-like’ environment instead of a pleasant place to learn,” Dwyer said. “I am concerned about the potential psychological impacts of students being reminded on a daily basis about the worst-case scenarios of why these metal detectors are being implemented.”
