This change was in response to a meeting of the school board on July 26, when a man was arrested after a pistol fell from his pocket.
The district spokesperson Emily Bauer confirmed that the district has not used metal detectors at board meetings for at least 20 years. She added that those who want to attend board meetings should look forward to the development of metal detectors.
The notice of the school board seminar meeting at 7pm on August 11 includes the following: “Due to the recent incident during the school board meeting, all participants will be subject to metal detection and may be lightly affected by the activation of the metal detector. shoot.”
The notice also asked participants not to bring bags, backpacks or purses to speed up the process of entering the meeting, and pointed out that guns and weapons are not allowed on the school premises. Under Indiana law, possession of a gun on school property or on a school bus is a felony.
At the July 26 meeting, a Carmel police officer working at the meeting saw the gun fall from the 69-year-old Robert Lescher’s pocket. According to the police.
After investigation, the police stated that they did not think Lesher was a threat to the meeting or anyone else. Lesher was charged with a felony of possession of a gun on school property.
The Carmel School Board meeting, like other meetings in the suburban school district of Hamilton County, has seen an increase in attendance recently as parents and community members have expressed their views on topics such as diversity, equity and tolerance, and social and emotional learning.
However, most of these are conducted during the public comment period, and the upcoming meeting on August 11 is a seminar meeting, so the public comment is not on the agenda. The next regular meeting of the school board is August 23.
The Carmel police, usually a school resource officer, often attends board meetings. Bauer previously told IndyStar that the number of police attending meetings has increased in the past few months.
The Carmel School Board of Directors seminar will be held at the Carmel Clay School Education Service Center at 5201 East Carmel Avenue at 7pm on August 11th. The door opens at 6:30 pm Find the agenda here.
Call IndyStar Education Reporter MJ Slaby at 317-447-1586, or send an email to mslaby@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @mjslaby.