EDITORIAL - How feasible is it?

To make sure students don’t bring guns to school and carry out a school shooting --three of which have already killed several students around the country-- the Cebu City Council has asked the Department of Transportation’s Office of Transportation Security (OTS) to donate or transfer single-view X-ray baggage inspection machines to public schools.

According to a story in this newspaper, a resolution authored by Councilor David Tumulak urged the OTS to provide Cebu City with available or unused X-ray baggage inspection machines that can be deployed in public schools.

Are X-ray machines for schools feasible? Actually, yes. Some schools have already installed their own X-ray machines. Some establishments like malls and hotels also have an X-ray machine as part of their security measures.

But, first, will there be enough X-ray machines to go around all public schools? According to the Department of Education, the Cebu City Division oversees a total of 126 public schools; 69 public elementary schools and 57 public secondary schools.

Can all public schools have their own X-ray machine, or do we just prioritize those that are high-risk? If so, how do we determine that?

Second, won’t implementing this cause long lines, especially during the morning? Those lines to pass through the X-ray machines in the airport may be nothing compared to the lines of students waiting to enter school.

Third, those machines need trained personnel to analyze what’s inside scanned bags and how to spot something dangerous. If a student wants to get something contraband through a scanner you can bet he will do his best to disguise that object.

Fourth, what happens during a rotational brownout when the machines can’t be used? What happens when they suddenly break down? Also, who will maintain those machines?

Don’t get us wrong, we have been asking for solutions to secure our students and having X-ray machines for public schools is actually a sound one. But we have to address several issues for that idea to become a reality.