ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — St. Lucie Public Schools will implement rotating metal detectors for the new school year.
WATCH BELOW: 'Another layer of security,' Superintendent Dr. Jon Prince tells WPTV
Safety in schools is top of mind, for parent Victoria Cartales in Port St. Lucie.
“As parents, we're trusting them by giving them our kids all day,” said Cartales.
To build that trust, Superintendent Dr. Jon Prince said district staff will deploy the metal detectors periodically and randomly.
READ MORE: BACK TO SCHOOL COVERAGE
“We may show up one day, we may show up the very next day,” said Prince. “We may show up the next week.”
Prince said they’ll notify parents the first time they’re deployed. After that, it will be truly random, which Prince said is essential for safety.
“The semblance of surprise, we feel, is a better deterrent than having them at the same place and same location every single day,” said Prince.
WATCH PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Here's the new policy for sporting events at St. Lucie schools
It’s a tool the district has already been using at sporting events and board meetings.
Prince said district staff will help operate the metal detectors to ease the burden on school staff.
“Our focus is for school staff and personnel to focus on educating our kids,” said Prince.
But just because the metal detectors are deployed, doesn’t mean there’s an issue.
“It's just another layer of security and protection for us,” said Prince.
On the Treasure Coast, Indian River High Schools use metal detectors. But Martin County has opted not to use them.
“We are really training our staff to be vigilant: see something, say something,” said Martin County School District Superintendent Michael Maine.
WATCH PREVIOUS COVERAGE BELOW: Are other local school districts considering metal detectors?
In Palm Beach County, the district rolled out metal detectors to 32 high schools last year.
“The main thing we are looking for are weapons that cause mass harm,” said Chief Sarah Mooney with Palm Beach County School Police.
I asked Cartales about the metal detectors and she said she sees the benefit.
“I feel like it could stop a lot of catastrophic things from happening before they can happen,” said Cartales.
But Cartales said she thinks it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.
“Maybe once high school gets around, I feel like it could be a beneficial thing to happen,” said Cartales. “But at young ages, I feel like maybe giving them a little bit of trust.”
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