PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — School is back in session for Palm Beach County and one pressing question lingers in the minds of parents: What measures are in place to ensure the safety of our children?
WPTV's Joel Lopez is taking your questions and concerns straight to those in charge.
WATCH BELOW: 'We've been preparing all summer,' Police Chief Sarah Mooney tells WPTV
He sat down with Sarah Mooney, police chief for the School District of Palm Beach County, to get answers on how the district is working to secure its schools and the nearly 200,000 students in Palm Beach County.
Preparing for a safe school year
"We've been preparing all summer," said Mooney, who leads a team of over 250 sworn officers.
When Lopez asked, “Are we ready for the school year?” Mooney responded, "We are ready, we are ready."
She met with WPTV to share the latest initiatives that include new police radio systems enhancing district-wide communication, and upgrades to surveillance cameras, access control systems, and emergency alert protocols.
"We try to stay up with the technology, so there's always improvements being made," Mooney explained, emphasizing the district’s commitment to safety by continually integrating the latest advancements.
Metal detectors: A year in review
Last year marked a milestone with the introduction of metal detectors in all high schools in the district.
However, since April WPTV has been pressing the district for answers when police arrested two students at Wellington High School.
Two months later we obtained a report that uncovered details that the students had a glock magazine containing 15 rounds of live ammunition hidden inside a water bottle.
Wellington parents told WPTV they never got clarification from the school district.
Lopez pressed Mooney for more answers.
"I'm just asking the questions that parents are asking me," Lopez stated.
"That's what's in the report, I know you have a copy of the report that explains everything that happened," responded Mooney.
The report she mentioned never clarified how the bullets got through the metal detectors.
Lopez pressed for clarity on this incident.
“Parents since April have been asking how these bullets got on campus, do you have an answer for them?” Lopez said.
Chief Mooney acknowledged a procedural oversight.
"The items that are being scanned for that would not have set it off potentially, but there was a procedural issue with that that we believe that it was brought in through one of those cups."
Ensuring thorough inspections
Mooney confirmed metal cups are one of several items that set off the metal detectors, so they are passed around the machines for manual inspection.
"We just need to make sure that we're checking everything that's going around the metal detectors that's not going through" said Mooney. "We've had so many successes with it, we don't want people getting complacent. Don't go away from the way we've been doing, just because it might be easier, quicker or that it might not cause a problem if it was through and it beeps."
An investment exceeding $2.5 million has ensured that at least three metal detectors are deployed in 32 high schools across the district.
The school board is also contemplating the possibility of additional grade level schools getting installations in the future.
In May, WPTV reported on a loaded gun found in a student’s backpack at Panther Run Elementary in Wellington.
School police responded and recovered the loaded handgun from the student's backpack without disrupting the school day. However, the question of extending metal detector security measures to middle and elementary schools remains open.
“Not this year, there's potential. There's always potential to change things up,” Mooney replied, when asked if metal detectors might be implemented in younger grades.
She highlighted the necessity of prioritizing resources effectively to tackle the distinct challenges present in each school.
A call to action for parents
Mooney reported that no firearms were detected by the metal detectors last year.
She told WPTV that the most common triggers were items like laptops, three-ring binders, and metal water bottles.
In this evolving landscape of school security, Mooney has a critical message for parents:
“Pay attention and get ready to go and be involved in what's going on, and make sure that you're talking to the kids. If there's anything that we can do to help intervene or to support the kids, we want to know about it so we can do the best job that we can.”
Read more of WPTV's related coverage below:
Wellington
2 students arrested after bullets found at Wellington HS
Wellington
'Very terrifying': WPTV uncovers details in arrest of Wellington High students
Region C Palm Beach County
Loaded gun found in backpack at Panther Run Elementary
Education