At a recent meeting, Milford School District staff provided the Board of Education with details on a new weapons detection process being implemented by January 2026 across the district. The new system will allow staff, students and the community to walk through without removing personal items or bookbags.
“Dr. [Jessica] Weller and I have been working pretty close together on this next item and we’d like to kind of plant the seed on the adoption of weapons detection systems, so our district remains deeply committed to creating safe, caring and welcoming schools for every student, staff member and family,” Travis Moorman, Superintendent, said. “In the near future, we will begin using the CEIA Opengate weapons detection system at select schools and after school events. This is a modern, non-evasive safety measure designed to help keep weapons out of our schools while maintaining a positive and respectful entry experience.”
According to Moorman, the Opengate system allows people to walk through naturally without removing bags or personal items. This prevents slowing entry at the start of a school day or as people enter events.
“This step is part of our broader commitment to proactive school safety, including building strong relationships and trust with our community, promoting trauma informed and restorative practices, ensuring every student and staff member feels safe and supported,” Moorman said. “We are currently working on creating processes, scheduling training and building the infrastructure needed with staff and facilities to implement the system effectively. We appreciate your partnership as we continue to make our school safe, welcoming and focused on learning for all. Many of us may have gone to other district events or athletic events in other school districts and have seen some of these systems in operation.”
The goal, according to Moorman was more as a deterrent and preventative measure and not a sign that there are many individuals attempting to bring weapons into the schools. Currently, the district has purchased two sets and plan to communicate with the community regarding how the process is working. The district will begin with select events and on select days at different schools. Board Vice-President Matt Bucher asked if the machines had been received yet.
“No, but we do have a leadership team meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in preparation for their arrival,” Moorman said. “As we start taking a look at the implementation, specifically the training and professional development and the personnel we will need to provide.”
Bucher confirmed that Milford was one of only a few districts who were not using a system like this in some way. Moorman stated that was true. The machines were purchased using a grant and Moorman stated that $46,000 of the grant was used to purchase the machine. The remaining portion of the grant would be used to cover the costs of extra duty time necessary to run the machines at events.
