South Park High School Families:
As communicated at the start of the year, the South Park School District will begin to utilize the OpenGate Weapons Detection System in its schools this school year. After training and testing, South Park High School will begin a phased rollout of the weapons detection system on Monday, November 17, 2025.
The OpenGate system, used in schools and large public venues locally and nationally, uses advanced sensor technology to detect weapons quickly and discreetly, without the invasiveness of traditional metal detectors. The system will allow for smooth student flow during arrival and minimizes disruptions to the school day.
The South Park School District has produced this video explaining what the process will look like for students and visitors at South Park High School. After arriving at the school during the school day, staff will direct students and visitors to pass through the weapons detection system. Students will need to remove their Chromebooks and hand them to a school staff member. They’ll then pass through the weapons detectors in a single file line, leaving space between the person in front of them, while carrying their bookbags, purses, and other bags. There is no need to remove cell phones or keys from their pockets. Students who carry large binders or multiple binders may need to remove those binders before passing through the OpenGate system.
Should the system give an alert, administrators, faculty, and staff will follow specific steps to ensure the safety of the school community. After an alert, the student will be directed to place their bag on a nearby table where they’ll be asked to remove any remaining large metal items, and a further bag inspection will take place.
As this phased rollout begins, morning arrival may take some extra time at the high school as students and staff get accustomed to this new process. This is the reason the high school is implementing a phased rollout of the OpenGate system.
The OpenGate Weapons Detection System was made possible by a grant through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as part of the South Park School District’s prioritization of student and staff safety.
If you have any questions, please contact the high school office. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and partnership.