BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Metal detectors are coming to all public high schools in Broward County this month after test runs wrap up at summer school programs.
Starting Aug. 12, all high school students and visitors entering any Broward County public high school will go through metal detectors prior to entering the building.
“This is just an additional layer to ensure that we can be as safe as possible,” said Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn.
The initiative comes in an effort to enhance security efforts, with the goal of detecting weapons.
Here’s how it works:
Students will show their school issued IDs prior to passing through the metal detector.
Students will not need to take off their backpacks or remove items, except for laptops, large glass cases, musical instruments and three ring binders.
Students who alert the system will be subject to a second search.
“Depending on what actually sets it off, we will search further -- usually the backpack or something to figure out what is triggered,” said Broward County Public Schools Chief Safety and Security Officer Jamie Alberti.
In Miami-Dade County, discussions about bringing metal detectors to schools are just beginning — the estimated cost is around $20 million.
Like in Broward County, the Miami-Dade proposal would apply to high schools. A workshop was held Wednesday in Miami-Dade and another is scheduled for Aug. 7.