DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Four Volusia County high schools now have metal detectors in place as part of their security protocol, according to an update from the school district Tuesday.
School district officials confirmed the metal detectors are up and running at:
- Atlantic High School in Port Orange
- Pine Ridge High School in Deltona
- Taylor Middle-High School in Pierson
- Mainland High School in Daytona Beach
The district still needs to add them to six other schools, but plans to have them up and running soon.
In the meantime, the district also has portable metal detectors that allow for random searches, but they are not at every school.
[WATCH: Volusia County Schools using AI to detect weapons on campus]
“I think it’s actually a good thing,” said Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry Tuesday. “It sends a message both to the kids and the outsiders. Schools are not places for violence, or where we’re going to be subject to the dangers of gun violence, and it’s a sign of the times we live in.”
Metal detectors are just one part of Volusia County’s security plan for its schools this year.
As News 6’s Volusia County Community Correspondent Molly Reed reported in August, the district and the sheriff’s office have a number of measures in place to catch threats.
It includes an AI gun detection system called ZeroEyes, which uses cameras to catch guns on campus and notify authorities, and a new Behavioral Threat Unit to identify threats and quickly respond before they become more serious.
[WATCH: A conversation with Volusia County’s education, safety leaders]
Last school year, law enforcement investigated more than 900 Fortify Florida tips about rumors, social media posts and other threats. Most were unfounded, but three dozen arrests were made.
Many of those incidents led to school lockdowns.