Dylan spends his entire morning getting ready to look his best for his first day of school, but as he approaches the entrance, he finds himself standing under the burning sun, waiting in a long line of students to pass through the newly installed metal detectors. The line feels endless and he starts to wonder if this new process really makes the school safer.

In March 2024, Broward County Public Schools approved a new metal detectors policy, requiring high school students and staff to pass through metal detectors each morning before entering the campus. This policy went into effect on Aug. 12 and is now affecting nearly 32 high schools across the county, including Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The main goal of the policy is to increase safety by preventing dangerous items from getting into schools, such as firearms. By catching these items before they enter campuses and reach classrooms, schools are aiming to create a safer environment where students and staff can focus on learning without concerns about security.

However, students have mixed feelings about policy. While there are some who feel more secure, others worry about how their daily routine will be impacted. One of the biggest issues with the metal detectors is the long lines they tend to create at the entrances, leading to crowded hallways and delays in the morning.

“The lines are way too long and if you don’t come early, you’re stuck waiting in the heat or rain,” freshmen Jolie Golding said.

In addition to delaying students, some say that metal detectors have added stress to their mornings. The extra steps, such as emptying backpacks and quickly moving through security, have made the start of the day feel more hurried and tense.

“It’s just frustrating having to take out all your stuff and get rushed through the line,” junior Marissa Gallagher said. “And it really doesn’t feel like school anymore.”

Despite these problems, there are students who believe that metal detectors are a necessary measure to ensure safety. They believe these devices help prevent harmful items from entering the school and help improve the overall sense of security among students.

“I think that it [metal detectors] is necessary and that it should have been done a long time ago,” sophomore Addisson Taylor Haak said. “I just feel like they’re not taking it seriously and a lot of kids are sneaking in with metal stuff.”

Many agree that metal detectors are a good way to keep the school safe, but there are still concerns about how well they work and if the school is ready for them. Some students argue that having more detectors could make the system work better for everyone. It could reduce the long lines and let everyone get into school faster.

“I think they should have been more prepared,” freshman Juli Peterson said. “There needs to be more of them.”

In addition to the long lines and concerns, the effectiveness of metal detectors is being questioned.

“I don’t think that they are making the school safer because if my big water bottle can go through it and other metal things I have in my backpack aren’t getting stopped, I don’t think it really helps,” Gallagher said.

Even though these concerns are understandable, metal detectors are designed to spot specific metals linked to dangerous items, so everyday things like water bottles can go through without issue.

The new metal detectors at BCPS were intended to enhance the safety of students and staff. However, since their installation, MSD students have reported issues such as long lines at the entrances, extra stress in the mornings and questions about their overall effectiveness. Students believe that these are major problems that need to be fixed to make the system work better for everyone.