Brownsville Area receives donation to purchase metal detectors
Eric Morris | Herald-Standard
Maggie Hardy Magerko (center), president and owner of 84 Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, presents a check in the amount of $7,396 for the Brownsville Area School District to purchase metal detectors to install at the entrance of school buildings. Magerko is joined by Brownsville Area administrators (from left) high school Principal Bill King, Superintendent Dr. Keith Hartbauer, middle school Principal Shawn Clemmer and Director of Security Dave Simpson, and Brownsville Area High School students.
Eric Morris | Herald-Standard
Maggie Hardy Magerko, president and owner of 84 Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, presents a check to Brownsville Area School District Superintendent Dr. Keith Hartbauer in the amount of $7,396 for the district to purchase metal detectors to install at the entrance of school buildings.
HILLER — Amid a campus-wide lockdown Tuesday, the Brownsville Area School District accepted a donation from a local businesswoman to help strengthen security in district schools.
Maggie Hardy Magerko, president and owner of 84 Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, presented the district with funding to buy metal detectors that will be installed at the entrance of district buildings to detect weapons and deter them from being brought into schools.
The $7,396 donation will enable the purchase of two to three metal detectors for the district, which was on lockdown Tuesday morning during Magerko’s visit to Brownsville Area High School in response to a threat made by a student on social media.
“It’s ironic, today we’re here and (the school)’s on a lockdown,” said Magerko. “I can’t really imagine what these kids feel every day, this anxiety that they don’t even know they have. Let’s try do something as community leaders.
“Let’s get our priorities straight. We need to make sure that our children are safe, and not just safe but give them peace of mind.”
Magerko learned of Brownsville’s need for metal detectors from newly hired district security director Dave Simpson, a retired Pennsylvania State Police officer and former Nemacolin resort security officer.
Simpson, who joined the district at the beginning of February, said he noticed the lack of metal detectors immediately upon his arrival to the district and reached out to Magerko for support.
“I couldn’t believe there was nothing to prevent things from coming in from the outside,” said Simpson. “You don’t know what’s coming through these doors every day. Security has to be on forefront of everybody’s mind.
“I thought if there was anyone to help, it was Maggie. Her heart is always with kids.”
Magerko felt compelled to help Brownsville strengthen its security after Uniontown Area High School experienced a shooting scare last month, as well as a school shooting that occurred last week at a high school in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead.
“When I found out that each metal detector is about $2,500, it made me sick that the community in Brownsville has not risen up and gotten metal detectors to keep our students safe,” Magerko said.
“I’m going to start putting out a challenge to community leaders across the United States. There are community leaders in every community, why aren’t they doing something about it?” she said.
Simpson said the district will have to determine how to spend the donated funds.
One option, he said, is to purchase two “advanced” metal detectors for a total of about $7,400 to be stationed at the entrances of the middle and high schools. A second option is to buy three “basic” detectors for about $2,500 each to be installed at each of the district’s three schools, Simpson said.
He is hopeful a decision is made this week and that the detectors can be purchased and installed within the next two to three weeks.