William Floyd School District discusses safety and plans to implement metal detectors
School district officials are aiming to have the metal detectors installed in each building by the end of this school year.
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One of Long Island's largest school districts is getting a major security overhaul.
According to school district officials, metal detectors will likely be installed in the William Floyd School District in Mastic Beach by the end of this school year.
The updated security policy comes two weeks after a 14-year-old student brought a loaded gun into the high school.
"That was really scary when it first happened so I'm glad they're doing something about it," William Floyd High School senior Kristen Hassell said.
The weapon was caught by a metal-detecting wand that security has been using to screen people entering educational buildings.
Tuesday night, the William Floyd Board of Education held its first public meeting since that incident.
Officials reaffirmed their priority to safety before a packed room of dozens of concerned parents demanding answers on how the school would keep their kids safe.
Parents today said they understood why the enhanced safety measures were necessary.
"It's a sticky situation because then you're stuck with almost like a trauma for these kids and they're going through these metal detectors and they don't really understand why but at the same time you have to keep them safe," William Floyd schools parent Veronica Lemoreaux said.
Law enforcement officials discussed how they prepare and train for any active shooter situation and how the current procedures are making a difference.
"It's about planning, practicing the plan, the purpose of our drills because we know in any life-threatening situation, we're not thinking we are just reacting," Suffolk County Police Homeland Security Officer Elisa McVeigh said.
The district did not provide a timeline on when the metal detectors could be implemented, but said it is a priority to get it done by next summer. The district is in contact with potential vendors to move the process forward.
"The safety and security of our students and staff has been and always will continue to be the absolute, number one priority for our district," William Floyd Superintendent of Schools Kevin Coster said.
In the meantime, security will continue to screen people entering school buildings with wands. The district has ordered dozens more to make these checks more frequent and efficient.
