With summer freshly ending, it is time for a new era to begin, and new rules to be put in place. This includes the new phone ban that is ongoing in all Broward schools, and even for some schools, the installation of metal detectors.
Picture this: it’s the first day of the school year and you walk up to your school’s gates with nerves and excitement for the day to begin. However, you are met with metal detectors at the doors of your school with a line stretching all the way around the block. While this may sound like a nightmare for some, it was reality for the students of McArthur, West Broward, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas high schools.
For context, the installation of metal detectors was aimed at enhancing security across all 31 high schools in the district. This allows security guards and officers to detect any weapons or life-threatening items before it is “too late.” Not only does this give students and staff members the opportunity to feel safer in a school setting, but it also allows parents to feel confident in knowing their child is safe.
In an Local 10 article, a mother discusses how she believes metal detectors are “good for the kids and the faculty.” It goes to show that this extra precaution allows there to be a weight taken off of their shoulders. The metal detectors help with making students and their families feel safe, but also allow the teachers to do their job in an environment where they believe they’re safe.
However, here at Charter, this story is playing out differently. According to PPCHS principal, Mr. Bayer, we actually have more security enhancements than any other public high school in Broward. For almost 4 years now, students and faculty members have been accustomed to swipe cards for access to each building. Additional security measures, such as lock down boxes, cameras, and a layered point of security around entries, have also been implemented.
“Broward added that [metal detectors] aren’t nearly as good as what we’ve already added. So, we decided to hold off and see how it goes for them and monitor it,” Mr. Bayer said.
At South Broward and Cypress Bay High School, the metal detectors went relatively smooth, and students experienced little to no delays. But, those two schools were among the very few that shared this experience. Headlines, stories, and news broadcasts across Broward County and Miami news outlets all captured and discussed the lines that circled around blocks due to the new enhancements.
The first day of school came across as a chaotic start, as it began with a disorganized turn out from students and teachers all scrambling around to figure out ways to make the metal detectors work. However, with this, it just caused students to be over an hour late to their first class and begin the new school year with a rocky start.
This late start then reached the point of Broward Superintendent, Howard Hepburn, authorizing the dismissal of the metal detectors and letting students go straight to their first period. At the end of the day, opinions began to flood in with principals and superintendents discussing how “one tool or piece of equipment doesn’t solve it all.”
Coming from a student point of view, Angelica Diaz, who is a junior here at Charter, agrees with the idea that metal detectors wouldn’t implement much change. “I understand that schools may feel that this will aid in security, but I just feel like it would turn our school into a prison-like environment.”
Although neighboring schools in Broward are adopting these customs, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Charter will hop on the bandwagon. With all the security enhancements already at Charter, it is seemingly agreed upon that waiting and monitoring the changes is necessary. But, as of now, Charter and the future of its security enhancements are up in the air and continuously in the making. 
