By: McKenna Golat | Southfield Sun | Published December 22, 2025
Khalid JonesSOUTHFIELD — Southfield Public Schools has been in the process of getting metal detectors into its buildings for the past year, and it will be rolling them out at Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology after the holiday break.
Southfield Public Schools Chief of Staff James Jackson said this will be the first time walk-through metal detectors will be used within school district buildings. However, the district has used detector wands at games and events, so this should not be entirely new for students.
Jackson said these metal detectors are another layer of security and protection for students and staff.
“We have learned that there is no true profile for what schools are susceptible to gun violence,” he said. “At the end of the day, our top priority is to keep our students and staff safe.”
Jackson said the push for added security from parents has been strong in the last few years, especially after the Oxford shooting and last year’s incident of a 15-year-old student bringing a concealed firearm into Southfield A&T.
Jackson said the school district received seven metal detectors. Four will be placed in Southfield A&T at the beginning of next semester. The remaining three will eventually be placed at University K-12 Academy.
The metal detectors were purchased using 31aa grant funding, which are state funds that can be used to enhance student safety. The name “31aa” refers to the section of the Michigan School Aid Act that governs these funds. The metal detectors cost $8,800 per unit.
Students, staff and parents have been made aware of the metal detectors by the school district. Students were given a demonstration of how the detectors work during an assembly on Dec. 17.
Student opinions on the metal detectors were mixed. While some said they appreciate the added layer of security, others said they have concerns about how well they will work. Additionally, some students said the metal detectors should have been implemented sooner.
Senior DaSani Gavin said she likes the idea of having the metal detectors. She said it sounds like a safe system to have within the building.
“It’s going to protect us and keep stuff that shouldn’t be in the school away,” Gavin said.
Junior Khalid Jones said the metal detectors are a good idea to have, and that he has faith it will work.
Senior Reese Robinson said she feels the metal detectors should have been implemented sooner.
“I feel like it’s too late, and that it should have been done sooner,” she said. “So much stuff could have been prevented.”
Junior Jason Davis agreed with Robinson, and said he has concerns about the effectiveness of the metal detectors.
“I feel like the metal detectors won’t work, and that people will find a way to still bring stuff in,” he said.
The metal detectors will be placed at the main entrances of the high school. People will remove their keys, phones and laptops so as to not cause a false reading. Once people walk through, the metal detectors will be able to detect any large amounts of metal on the body and indicate to security where the item is located.
If the detector is tripped, security will pull that person to the side and do a wand search.
Once in place, security measures at Southfield Public Schools will include the metal detectors, wands, its 20-person private security team and four school resource officers from the Southfield Police Department.