SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — As schools buckle down on safety measures across the country, a local high school struggles to make a decision on new security measures.

During Monday night’s school board meeting at Scranton High School, the majority of the Scranton School Board rejected a new, upgraded security system to help protect children and staff.

On Tuesday, Eyewitness News spoke to people on both sides of the controversy to find out why.

The new security system had everything. Door sensors, lots of cameras, even smoke and vape detectors.

But the Scranton School Board said no to making it a part of their security platform.

“Three of us felt very comfortable with moving ahead at that time, six of us felt that we wanted further information about it,” said President of Scranton School Board Ro Hume.

Members who voted against the system felt the district may not be ready for all the changes.

Katie Gilmartin, Director of the Scranton School Board, says the security system platform “assumed” all schools were ready for the upgrades, including electrical outlets and wiring.

That made me a little nervous that there might be some sort of first steps that we needed to take in order to implement this. The thing that’s so important to keep in mind is that security is a multi-layered effort,” said Gilmartin.

Those who supported the safety upgrade felt confident in their vote, especially after their head of security gave it the green light.

“We researched it and had come up with a really acceptable system that was going to serve our needs for the next 10 years. It was also recommended by our director of safety and security who has many, many, many years of expertise in this area,” said Hume.

Supporters of the added security were disappointed but not surprised by the outcome.

“Some of us had more questions. I personally was satisfied and knew from early on that this was a system that would serve us well, but equally, I respect my colleagues desire to learn more about it,” Hume explained.

Although the Scranton School Board may not have seen eye to eye while voting on the new security platform, they all have the same priority on the top of their agenda.

“Safety and security of our students and staff and visitors and everyone in our building is our highest priority,” Hume continued.

The Scranton School Board views their decision as only a piece of the puzzle that will continue to keep their district safe as they move forward.

“As we navigate any safety improvements we want to make, I don’t want that to undermine anyone’s confidence in the safety measures that are in place,” Gilmartin explained.

Members of the school board say they do not look at Monday night’s vote as a definite no and expect to circle back to the safety platform at their next meeting.