WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Thursday was the first day of school for Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.
"The traffic patterns were actually pretty good this year, and the drop off was pretty smooth," Carla Pierre, who said she has six children ranging from kindergarten to college.
"Is the excitement for the kindergartener now just as big as the one in college?" asked WPTV reporter Joel Lopez.
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"It is because he's the last one, so it definitely was a joyous moment," Pierre answered. "He didn't even want pictures. He was just ready to get to class."
Port St. Lucie police said the first two weeks are usually the most congested with traffic.
"Let's see, it's 2:40 p.m. It's been a solid hour now that I’ve been in line," Jenny Callahan, who was in line to pick up her child from kindergarten in Jensen Beach, said.
As far as buses, St Lucie County schools said they're making adjustments to maximize route efficiency.
Districts reported a successful first day but said the need for more staffing was the most notable.
Martin County schools said they still have approximately 50 teacher vacancies, as well as custodial, paraprofessional and secretarial positions.
Okeechobee County schools said all classrooms had a certified teacher or a substitute working with a certified teacher to deliver lessons. Currently, they have 36 vacancies but will look at enrollment over the next 11 days to see if the number of true vacancies remains the same.
Indian River County has 13 open positions but said all classrooms have a teacher.
St. Lucie County schools said they're fully staffed with less than five teacher vacancies but said they have all classes covered.
"Any adjustments for day two?" Lopez asked Priscilla Hood, who drove her junior to G-Star School of the Arts in Palm Springs.
"I’m hoping it'll be just as smooth as it was today," Hood said. "I may leave ... the house a little earlier."
Thursday was the debut of metal detectors for four Palm Beach County schools.
The pilot program is at John I. Leonard High School, Seminole Ridge Community High School, Palm Beach Lakes Community High School, and Palm Beach Gardens Community High School.
School district officials said, according to school police, the four metal detector pilots performed extremely well at all four schools.
They reported that the item setting off sensors the most were bottles of perfume with a metal top and a backpack with a built-in radio.
The district has a zero-tolerance policy for firearms or weapons at school, any school function or school-sponsored transportation.
"The first day has gone really well," Mike Burke, the superintendent for the School District of Palm Beach County, said. "I think all the hard work from our team over the summer is paying off."
The Palm Beach County School District said nothing was confiscated as a result of the metal detectors but they are reminding students to have their IDs ready to help speed up the line.