BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Two schools in Broward County -- Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines and J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs -- began implementing metal detectors on their campuses Monday.
The initiative aims to enhance security across all 31 high schools in the district by enabling officers to detect any possible weapons before it’s too late.
Broward Superintendent Howard Hepburn marked the first day of summer school as an ideal time to launch this new safety program.
“This is just an additional layer to make sure that we can be as safe as possible,” said Hepburn.
Parents have shown strong support for the initiative.
“You always want students to feel that they are in a safe environment. Without that, it can impede their learning,” said parent McFredy Antoine.
“I think it’s good for the kids, good for their safety,” another parent told Local 10 News.
The Broward County School Board approved the measure unanimously, with strong advocacy from Broward School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff, who lost her daughter Alyssa, 14, to gun violence in the Parkland shooting.
“The addition of these walk-through weapons detectors adds another layer of security as part of our commitment to providing safe and secure learning environments,” Alhadeff said.
By the start of the new school year in August, the goal is to have metal detectors operational in every high school in Broward County, according to Hepburn.
Chief of Safety and Security Officer Jaime Alberti explained the procedure when a detector goes off:
“There will be a secondary search and inspection of the student’s backpack,” he said.
At Flanagan High School, the cost for one pair of detectors was $16,000, and there will be three sets at different entry points.
Despite some concerns about privacy, many parents believe it is a necessary measure.
“People may think it’s an invasion of privacy, but it’s a great thing,” said Antoine.
On the first day of the pilot program, 300 students passed through the detection system at Flanagan High School without incident.
Despite the new safety measures, Hepburn encourages parents to check their children’s backpacks before sending them to school.
The installation of metal detectors across Broward County high schools is set to cost $1.8 million. Each set of metal detectors costs $16,000, and Flanagan High School plans to install one set at three different campus entry points.