Weapons & Drug-Free Policy
Weapons & Drug-Free Policy
![weapon and drug free signs on blue background]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1752271128/gilbertschoolsnet/ye968034gukhlfmmnbpl/WeaponDrug-FreePolicyGraphic.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1752271128/gilbertschoolsnet/ye968034gukhlfmmnbpl/WeaponDrug-FreePolicyGraphic.png","width":285}])
GPS maintains a campus-wide Weapons & Drug-Free policy in accordance with local, state, and federal laws as well as School Board policies, violations of such will be aggressively prosecuted.
5-305 - DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE BY STUDENTS
5-305 - WEAPONS IN SCHOOL
Weapons Detectors - High Schools
At Gilbert Public Schools, we take our students' and staff's safety and well-being extremely seriously. To promote safety on our campuses, we continue to add to our wide range of safety and security tools, processes, and strategies, including an enterprise security camera system, additional security staff, and campus video intercom systems at all school entrances.
In November 2024, we updated our community that we were considering adding weapons detectors at our High Schools. Following that update, we began researching and procuring a detector solution that would deliver the best results for our community. That process culminated in March 2025, when our Governing Board approved the implementation of weapons detectors at all seven of our High School campuses.
We worked with Mesa Public Schools and our vendor to learn about implementation best practices to ensure our students and families were well-informed and any potential disruption to students and visitors minimized.
Our original timeline was to implement the detectors at as many high school campuses as possible by the end of this school year and the remaining high schools at the beginning of the 2025/26 school year. In April we expedited the roll-out with support from our vendor and other community partners to have detectors operational on all GPS high school campuses before the end of the 2024/25 school year.
Please watch the video below to learn more about the Opengate detector system operational on our High School campuses.
What is Be SMART?
The Be SMART campaign was launched in 2015 to promote responsible gun ownership in order to reduce child gun deaths. Whether you’re a gun owner or you know someone who owns a gun, there is a role for everyone in the conversation around secure gun storage. Be SMART is a framework that parents, caretakers, and community leaders can follow to help keep their communities safe. Ultimately, you can help prevent kids from accessing firearms by storing them securely and encouraging others to do the same.
Opengate Weapons Detection System