BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — WPTV is getting a first-hand look at the process for students to walk through metal detectors at some Palm Beach County high schools.
The district is in the process of implementing safety measures at all high school campuses.
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One by one, it's quickly becoming second nature for students walking through metal detectors before starting the day at Boynton Beach Community High School.
"For what's been going around in other states and stuff, I feel like it makes the school environment safer," student Stephania Emmanuel said.
"The first day, it was easy. It was fast and it wasn't a big deal," student Kristy Michel added.
And so far, they aren't seeing any major delays getting to class. Principal Dr. Moody Fuller said they've been preparing for months.
"Having these devices on my campus creates a sense of security for the students and the community. And it really gives them that sense of calm because they know that certain things are not going to be brought on campus," Fuller said.
Boynton Beach High School began opening the gates earlier to start the school year and implemented a new ID check-in process.
Fuller said they've taken a lot of guidance from metal detector pilot schools like John I. Leonard High School, where he was assistant principal over the summer.
"I sent administrators out to the schools to see how they were functioning. And that's really what helped us get off to a running start," Fuller said.
If a detector goes off when a student walks through, they are pulled to the side for a bag check and to walk through the detector again.
About five staff members are monitoring each station, with at least one administrator.
"We try to make it as least intrusive as possible," Fuller said.
Chief Sarah Mooney of the School District of Palm Beach County's Police Department said the rollout is progressing as expected, with a few hiccups along the way.
"Training the kids to know how to go through the detectors. Making sure we have staffing in place. Making sure we have time to get everybody trained up the way they need to be," Mooney said.
The chief said that while this is just one layer of the school district's security plan, the most important part is always the people involved.
"This is a broader thing than just trying to find guns. This is something that helps us interact with the students day in and day out," Mooney said.
Metal detectors are now on eight Palm Beach County high school campuses with four more coming online officially next week. That brings the total to 12, halfway through all of the district's high schools.
