Deming Public Schools to pilot Open Gate weapon‑screening and expand K9 open‑air sniff program; board approves related policy changes

The Deming Public Schools board on March 26 approved policy changes and directed staff to finalize procedures to launch an Open Gate weapon‑detection pilot and limited K9 open‑air sniff operations.

Superintendent staff told the board that all Open Gate units are on district property and that secondary administrators and safety staff have completed initial training; on‑site, live exercises at campuses are scheduled in May to test the screening flow and to make adjustments ahead of planned use in August. Administration emphasized the exercises are intended to surface operational issues and inform communications to families and staff.

The board also reviewed proposed amendments to student‑search policy J3400 and an accompanying regulation that define three search types: universal entry screening tied to the weapon‑detection units, open‑air K9 sniffs to detect contraband in an area, and individualized reasonable‑suspicion wand searches. Board members and staff discussed legal limits — including avoiding random or indiscriminate wand searches — and asked for a clearer written procedure for canine deployment, chain‑of‑custody for alerts, and a draft MOU with the Deming Police Department before broad use.

Administration said the K9s would be used primarily for area/open‑air detection (not to conduct intrusive searches of individuals) and that final procedures would explain how students will be moved, how personal belongings will be handled, and when individualized searches could follow a canine alert. The board approved moving forward with an MOU framework with the police department and asked legal and operations staff to return with the detailed K9 procedures and final MOU language.

The policy and regulation changes passed with board direction to balance safety and students’ legal protections. The next steps: finalize the K9 MOU, circulate a parent/staff information plan, complete May on‑site exercises, and publish the written procedures before full implementation.

The board said no changes would be implemented without the training and procedural safeguards being in place.