When teachers and students return to class on Monday in Fairfax County, Virginia, they’ll notice something different in some schools. A new pilot program is starting to prevent guns and other weapons from entering campuses.

Randomly selected high schools will have what’s called OpenGate weapons detectors installed. The OpenGate program will begin in one school per week, beginning Monday and run through the end of the year.

These devices are already in use in numerous locations in the D.C. area, including the Smithsonian Museum and sports venues, including Nationals Park.

The OpenGate System is designed to detect handguns, long guns and knives.

They are designed to be more faster and more selective than traditional metal detectors.

“These systems are designed to provide fast and efficient screening of multiple people at the same time, allowing for a natural flow of entry,” Fairfax County Public Schools said on its website.

The detectors don’t use traditional X-rays. Instead, they use low-frequency electromagnetic fields.

In a video prepared by the school district, Superintendent Michelle Reid explained why they’re needed. “Students, one of the things that is always heartbreaking is that you’re the first-generation students that have always had lockdown drills during your student careers.

Students and others entering the campuses will remove their laptops and give them to a staff member. Should an alarm sound, they’ll undergo secondary screening.

Fairfax County Public Schools Chief Safety and Security Officer Brian Lambert explained how they’ll work.

“We have an attendant standing at the side. You pass your laptop or anything else and you pass through at a normal stride,” Lambert said. Should an alarm go off, the person would undergo additional secondary screening by “security, administrators and other designated staff.”

“This dynamic, non-contact approach ensures that the screening process is completely safe for all individuals, including children, pregnant women, and those with pacemakers or other medical devices,” the district said in a statement.

An unidentified student in the video Superintendent Reid endorsed the program.

“I think security is really the baseline for building a strong education, and it creates that functional and safe and secure environment where students feel that they’re safe to learn and express themselves,” the student said.

“Without it, it really is a big inhibitor on an educational environment.”

Fairfax County Public Schools has allocated an estimated $6.4 million for improved security.

Some of the money is coming from a class-action lawsuit settlement with the e-cigarette company July. The district said a potential expansion during the 2025-2026 school year is dependent on additional staffing and funding.

In addition to these new OpenGate security screening devices, Fairfax County Now reports the district has also been looking to expand a vape detector pilot and install additional security cameras, panic buttons and security vestibules.

On Feb. 20, two Edison High School students were charged with posing with a firearm on school property. Just a week later, two students were arrested on weapons-related charges after one displayed a handgun in Woodlawn at Mount Vernon Elementary School.

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