Metal Detectors Delayed At Parkland School Where 17 Died

Metal detectors will not be installed for the start of classes at a Florida high school where 17 students and faculty were slain on Valentine's Day.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel  reports Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie sent a letter Friday to parents of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students informing them that plans for the metal detectors were on hold.

A school board workshop on security measures is scheduled Aug. 14. Among the issues being considered: how to get 3,200 students through metal detectors each morning.

"As we continue our due diligence to implement the program - consulting with vendors and experts and reviewing turnkey solutions - many issues have been raised that require the District to pause and have a more thoughtful discussion on policy and procedural aspects of this pilot," Runcie wrote.

Class starts Aug. 15.

Officials previously said students would no longer have to use see-through backpacks when they returned to the Parkland school.

The Miami Herald  reports that students and faculty will see other safety measures in place when they return to the Parkland campus, including the addition of more security staff.

School identification badges will be required again for all students and staff members. New fences, gates, and surveillance video cameras have been installed, and the school's intercom system has been upgraded.

Classroom doors throughout the school will remain locked from the outside at all times, Runcie said. Over 30 new portable classrooms also have been installed to compensate for the closure of the building where the shooting took place.

Runcie said the school has hired a new employee whose "sole responsibility will be to monitor the camera system and alert appropriate individuals of suspicious activity."

Many students from the school have criticized safety measures such as the clear backpacks, arguing that implementing gun laws would be more effective instead.

Former student Nikolas Cruz has been jailed on 17 counts of first-degree murder since the shooting.

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