Those attending Fairfax County School Board meetings in the future may need to give themselves a little extra time to get settled in.
Starting this school year, Fairfax County Public Schools announced that it will expand its growing weapons screening program to school board meetings, requiring attendees to pass through OpenGate detectors before gaining entry.
“Implementation of this weapons detection system at school board meetings aligns with the same level of security and protection for students and staff during the regular school day,” FCPS said on a webpage announcing the new policy.
“It also aligns with larger, regional efforts across many northern Virginia school divisions to create more secure spaces where students, families, staff, school board members, and members of the public can safely come together and discuss important issues facing our public school systems.”
FCPS began testing the devices at a handful of high schools this spring and is now expanding them to all 51 high school and middle schools for the 2025-2026 academic year, which kicked off on Aug. 18.
The OpenGate system is also used locally in places like Nationals Park and Smithsonian museums. It allows users to pass through with all of their belongings, unlike traditional metal detectors that require the removal of bags, purses and other items.
Items not allowed at school board meetings include guns (from handguns to paintball guns), knives, explosive devices, ammunition and more — equivalent to the list of prohibited items in FCPS schools.
According to FCPS, items that may trigger the system but are still allowed include 3-ring binders, laptops, metal eyeglass cases, umbrellas and certain pencil cases.
“Be aware that bringing these items may slow-down how quickly you can pass through the scanners,” FCPS said.
The introduction of weapons detectors is part of a larger effort by FCPS to step up security, including by expanding the use of vape detectors, security cameras, panic buttons and security vestibules that require visitors to be verified before gaining access to a school. Perhaps most controversially, the school system is also looking to hire a bodyguard for Superintendent Michelle Reid after she reportedly received threats.
FCPS confirmed that the new weapons screening devices will be in place for the school board’s first meeting of the school year, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday) at Luther Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Road) in Merrifield.
“Fairfax County Public Schools remains committed to strengthening our layered safety and security programs,” FCPS said in a statement to FFXnow. “As part of our regular safety protocol reviews, the decision was made last spring to begin implementing our new weapons detection systems at regular School Board meetings, starting with the first meeting of the 2025-26 school year.”
While the agenda looks relatively sedate, featuring a regular update on Reid’s performance and a presentation on a summer algebra program, tomorrow’s meeting will be the school board’s first since the Trump administration moved to restrict funding for FCPS over its refusal to rescind transgender-inclusive policies.
In addition, since the board last met on July 17, allegations of FCPS employees helping underage students obtain abortions without informing their parents emerged in a conservative newsletter, prompting Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to order a state police investigation.
FCPS Pride, an LGBTQ advocacy organization for school staff, students and their families, will hold a rally ahead of the meeting to show its support for the school board, and the national anti-abortion group Students for Life of America has announced plans for a press conference.
This story initially stated that weapons detectors have been installed at all middle and high schools. FFXnow was later told that some schools haven’t added the devices yet, so the installation process is actually still underway.
