Indiana Schools Adding Metal Detectors

CHICAGO (CBS)—On the brink of a new school year, some schools in Indiana have added metal detectors to their back-to-school lists.

A program funded by the state is offering schools free hand-held metal detectors.

CBS 2's Vi Nguyen has more on how the program works.

One of more than two-dozen schools participating in the program, East Chicago Urban Enterprise Academy signed up to get a metal detector during the state's enrollment period last month.

Principal of East Chicago Urban Enterprise Academy, Veronica Eskew, says she is working every day to ensure the safety of her students and staff.

"We want to make sure that we take advantage of the measures that are afforded to us to help protect our students and our families," Eskew said.

She requested one metal detector from the program, which provides one device free of charge per every 250 students in a school district.

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb says it will be up to school officials to decide how they want to use the devices.

Eskew said she didn't envision a need to scan students daily, but instead said they would be used if there was a threat to the school.

When the new school years begins, 369 Indiana schools will receive more than 3,200 metal detectors that have been requested, Nguyen reports.

"The best way to control what happens inside a school is to control what gets inside," Holcomb said.

The Indiana Department of Administration will fund the program, which will cost up to $550,000.

The governor's office says schools should receive the devices sometime in August.