Parents of students in the Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District say their children have had to wait in the cold because of new safety protocols since bullets were found by the high school.

Photos surfaced of students waiting up to 45 minutes to be scanned by a metal detector wand. They also had their bags searched by school security before being allowed to enter the high school.

"They are huddled in large groups," said Sharon Raye. "She sent me a picture where she was lined up all the way to the curb of the main entrance, just waiting and then inside the school during flu and COVID season, on top of one another."

Raye says she would like to see metal detectors installed permanently but doesn't have much confidence in the safety precautions being implemented at the school.

Her lack of confidence stems from the school's late notification to parents about the bullets that were found. Parents were told on Sunday, two days after the discovery was made.

A petition to remove Dr. Donna Jones as superintendent has over 600 signatures from parents.

Ethan Meyer was one who signed the petition. He says he was able to walk into the school on Wednesday without being searched.

"Security let me through, they didn't scan me, they didn't wand me, they didn't pat me down, they had the station still there," Meyer said. "All I had to do was show my ID and I walked in. What's going on?"

Jones released a statement Wednesday saying in part, "We elevated our security protocols at the high school to provide visual inspections along with wanding and use of metal detectors for all students. Yesterday was the first day of the procedure and there was certainly room of improvement. The morning arrival today was greatly improved and we will continue to review the security protocols to determine additional ways to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the process."

Around 2 p.m. Wednesday, News 12 was made aware of a fight that happened between a group of students on school grounds.

Police tell News 12 there were no arrests or injuries and that it was not related to the incidents of the bullets found at the school.

Some parents contacted News 12 and said with everything going on, they are keeping their students home from school on Thursday.