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Following two incidents involving students bringing weapons into classrooms, the Detroit school district is investing millions in ramping up security.
The Detroit Public Schools Community District’s board voted this week to spend $1.7 million to hire 38 additional security guards for the rest of the school year. This month the district will also begin a pilot program of new security screening at 7 schools and a new visitor check-in process.
The district promised in October to make changes to its security protocols after an eighth grader stabbed another girl in class at Gompers Elementary-Middle School with a knife her mother allegedly brought into the school past a metal detector.
Months later, a student reportedly chased another with a boxcutter around a Denby High School classroom. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat in an email the student brought the weapon into the school due to a security guard’s screening failure.
“It is important to note that while we have strengthened monitoring and reinforced protocols district-wide following the Gompers incident, no system is effective without consistent execution at the school level and with personnel,” said Vitti. “This situation reflects a failure in implementation not a change in protocol.”
The additional security guards will help supervise students throughout the day at 29 schools. The district is currently working to fill 41 security guard vacancies, which includes the 38 new positions. Once the positions are filled, there will be a total of 252 security guards in the district.
The superintendent said the district is confident there will be room in the budget to continue filling the positions next fall.
The security screening pilot will last the remainder of the year at seven schools: Renaissance, Cass, Mumford, Western, East English Village, Gompers, and Earhart. The pilot will cost $490,000.
“As we move through implementation, the district will use what we learn from these pilot sites to determine effectiveness, identify operational best practices, and inform any decisions about potential expansion next year,” said Vitti.
Parents were notified Wednesday that the district began implementing a uniform visitor check-in process at all schools.
Now, all visitors, including parents, must show a photo ID, be photographed at the front desk, and wear a visitor badge with their name and image.
Parents or guardians who forget their IDs are required to fill out additional paperwork.
“We realize this is a new process and may be frustrating for some visitors but please keep in mind that this is another safety strategy we are implementing to keep everyone safe and accountable,” Vitti said in the district’s notification.
Vitti said at a recent committee meeting board members asked for a proposal to increase security personnel after the Denby incident on Jan. 21.
A video of the incident circulating social media showed a teacher trying to stop the student with a chair, Fox 2 Detroit reported.
“The student has been arrested and will not be returning to Denby or another district school,” Chrystal Wilson, DPSCD spokesperson, said in an email. There were no reported injuries.
The guard was immediately removed from screening duties, Vitti said, and was placed on administrative leave while an investigation is pending.
Additional police were placed at the school the following day.
Since the Gompers attack, the district spent a total of $4.3 million on additional security measures, which include more staff and support for risk assessments and hiring 10 more police officers in the district’s police department. There are now 41 officers in the department.
The district also began in-person and virtual monitoring of the screening procedures at schools, said Vitti. Administrators and public safety teams now conduct unannounced visits and live camera reviews of screening practices in real time. Principals are now required to log their monitoring of the screening process.
“When deviations from protocol are identified, we act immediately with additional support and accountability,” said Vitti.
Since October, the district conducted refresher training for security staff and reinforced administrative accountability.
“We remain committed to continuous improvement and to ensuring that screening procedures are carried out with fidelity every day in every school,” said Vitti. “We also need to have the continued support of our families to ensure backpacks are spot checked and the message is reinforced at home that weapons cannot be brought to school.”
Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
Feb. 17, 2026: This story has been updated with new information from DPSCD and comments from Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.
