School District to Buy Metal-Detector Wands : Safety: The board’s action comes after six students were expelled last month for violating policy on weapons.

The Glendale schools will buy eight metal-detector wands to check for weapons on campus, a decision that came after six students were expelled for violating school policy on weapons, including one who was carrying a starter pistol. Parents’ calls for tougher security measures cropped up again in the Glendale Unified School District after the recent fatal shootings of two students on Los Angeles district campuses. None of the Glendale incidents resulted in deaths or injuries, but the timing of the board’s actions Tuesday night is intended to placate parents’ concerns about the level of violence on Los Angeles campuses spilling over. “You have these high-profile items that people dwell on,” Supt. Robert Sanchis said. “But individually, they cannot absolutely guarantee safety on campuses. The board has had a history of being proactive to ensure safety.” Board member Charles Whitesell said: “My concern is that we may be over-reacting. I would hate to see a $120 wand end up in someone’s drawer.” He also raised questions about the possible psychological scars metal detectors could leave on young students. Of the 28,000 pupils in the district, only the nearly 13,000 at the eight secondary schools will be randomly spot-checked for weapons. The board also discussed plans to buy detectors for all 19 elementary schools. Board members Jane Whitaker and Sharon Beauchamp argued that all campuses should be equipped with detectors, but Whitesell said it was important to first evaluate their performance. In Los Angeles, the killing of a Fairfax High School student in January prompted the district to buy 12 hand-held detectors. Los Angeles officials bought an additional 250 when a student was fatally shot at Reseda High School nine days ago. The Los Angles Unified School District has agreed to teach Glendale school officials how to handle the wands, but a parent told the board Tuesday night not to expect any magic. “ . . . Eight is too few,” Sheila Ellis said. “One per school isn’t going to make a dent. What it will do is alleviate responsibility.” Six students were expelled Feb. 16 and are restricted from attending Glendale schools for a year, said Greg Bowman, director of curriculum. Their ages range from 11 to 15 and all but one attended Roosevelt Junior High School. Bowman said the students have been referred to the Community Family Counseling Center and could reapply for readmittance once their expulsion terms are up. A sixth-grader at Mann Elementary school was caught toting a BB gun. One student brought a six-inch butterfly knife to school. Another brandished a starter pistol loaded with blanks and stuck it in the stomach of a fellow student while the boys walked back home from school on Dec. 18. “It put a lump in my throat,” said Ray Waldbaum, the father of the boy at whom the gun was pointed. “Some years ago an actor horsing around on a movie set killed himself thinking (a pistol) was a toy.” In addition, three students were caught when they passed around a gas-propelled pellet gun procured in part with money stolen from a relative. Glendale schools had 32 campus incidents involving weapons possession during the 1991-92 school year, and 28 incidents the year before. But Sanchis said the district has made campuses safer in the last few years with a host of measures such as intercoms between classrooms, security officers, fencing and special badges for visitors. “Every kid has the potential to cause disaster on campus,” said Armen Panossian, a non-voting student board member. “A detector is a good precautionary measure. But it’s not a grave need.”

Incidents in Schools Six students from the Glendale Unified School District were expelled Feb. 16 after four incidents involving weapons: Nov. 24, 1992: An 11-year-old male sixth-grader is caught with a BB gun at Mann Elementary School. Dec. 11, 1992: A 15-year-old male student at Roosevelt Middle School is caught carrying a butterfly knife. Dec. 18, 1992: A 13-year-old male student at Roosevelt puts a starter pistol loaded with blanks against the stomach of another student off campus after school. Jan. 7, 1993: Three male students, ages 13 and 14, are caught passing around a pellet pistol at Roosevelt Middle School.