“I got caught in the metal detector line” should not be an excuse for why a student was late for class.
Unfortunately, that's the world we live in now.
Metal detectors were recently installed at three entrances to Vero Beach High School.
School authorities responded quickly after a student was charged with bringing a gun onto campus four days ago.
“Student safety is one of our top priorities,” said Scott Bass, assistant superintendent of Indian River County School District. “We thought we needed to act as soon as possible.”
The “era of innocence” no longer exists
The metal detectors were purchased at the beginning of the school year after Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers noticed that security bag searches before high school football games were taking too long. Flowers said the sheriff's office and school district split the $60,000 cost of three portable metal detectors to be used for speed checks at sporting events and school dances.
If it makes sense to have metal detectors at sporting events and other extracurricular activities in which students are involved, it stands to reason that they should also be in place during regular school hours.
No wonder this seems like an uncomfortable change for some students and parents. No one wants schools to become like prisons or armed concentration camps.
Some of us grew up in more innocent times, when such safety measures were considered unthinkably drastic.
That said, school district and school officials would be wise to be cautious. Sadly, our world has changed.
Improving school safety is on the rise
Following the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado that killed 12 students and one teacher, and the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 17 students. , many school districts in Florida did everything in their power to ensure school safety. That included spending staggering amounts of money on high-tech video systems, completely fencing the campus, and hiring school resource officers and security guards.
Not all schools are increasing security, but the overall trend is moving in that direction. It's not at all surprising to see metal detectors being used at other schools along the Treasure Coast.
Indian River County officials have already said Sebastian High School will be next.
Vero Beach High School's metal detectors, similar to those used at theme parks and large events, can detect large chunks of metal, such as handguns and ammunition magazines, so you don't have to empty your pockets or take off your belt or shoes. You don't have to.
This reduces the hassle of passing through security lines, which is a good thing.
Do underage students lose some of their virginity when they are asked to pass through metal detectors as part of their daily routine? Well, maybe. But that's no different from what they can expect once they become adults.
Metal detectors are commonplace at airports, courthouses, government buildings, and even sports and concert venues. Increased security after 9/11 has eliminated the long-standing tradition of greeting and saying goodbye to loved ones at airport gates. What's more, you can arrive at your boarding gate without a complete stranger knowing you've cut your toenails.
To answer the obvious question, installing metal detectors in schools does not prevent all types of gun violence. Students may use friends to smuggle guns over or under campus fences. A determined gunman may not be deterred by security checkpoints before attempting to enter school grounds.
It is impossible to predict all potentially dangerous situations. But what school administrators can do, and in the case of Vero Beach High School, do is identify procedures that provide an appropriate level of security without unduly distracting from the learning environment.
Metal detectors in schools may seem excessive, until the moment school officials have to answer the question of whether they did everything they could to prevent the tragedy from occurring.
The “good old days” that many of us older people remember are now a thing of the past. We need to take appropriate steps to ensure that our children and grandchildren will remember their school experience decades from now.
Editorials published by TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers are determined collectively by the Editorial Board. To respond to this editorial with a letter to the editor, send an email (up to 300 characters) to TCNLetters@TCPalm.com.
