Jupiter High School will be installing metal detectors at the entrances of the school, throughout spring break, March 18-25 to add an extra layer of protection to our campus. Students must go through the metal detectors any time they are entering or exiting the school and are expected to still return to class on time.
Students will have to put their backpacks on the front of their body and when at the metal detectors, students need to take out their Chromebook, phone and any other metal items before giving them to one of the faculty members at the gates. Once all metal objects are off of the student, they can walk through the metal detectors. Once clear, they can get their stuff back and proceed to class.
“Starting on Tuesday, the backpack is the first thing that goes through the metal detectors and the student behind it, so it’s easier and seamless to keep it moving,” Christine Rick, assistant principal at JHS, said.
If the metal detectors go off as a student passes through them, they will be required to walk through the metal detectors a second time without their backpacks and then an AP or other faculty member will search their bag privately.
The metal detectors will be added to the front gates in addition to the entrance to the 10000 hallway near the gymnasium. Students will be required to walk through them upon entrance to the building whether they are on time or arriving late.
“If all students are prepared and ready to go, it’s going to be like a fast pass all the way through,” Rick said.
Michael Messer, a senior at Jupiter High School in the Criminal Justice Academy, is working with the school to add metal detectors to our campus for an internship. Messer and Gabriel Nunziata, another senior at JHS, went to high schools around the district that had already enacted them to see how they worked.
“Palm Beach Gardens is a school my buddy and I went to go check out to make sure it works properly and we can implement it in our school,” Nunziata says. “We found out that their system does work really well, and they do get kids coming into school on time or a little bit earlier so they can check their bags and stuff.”
Students who are related to faculty at the school will not be allowed to enter the school through the band hallway and will have to walk through the metal detectors. Also, because the metal in wheelchairs set off the metal detectors, students using wheelchairs will be screened via a handheld wand.
This new policy has led to some student concerns about getting to class on time with the extra steps posed by the new procedures.
“With 3000 people, that’s probably going to take a while,” Mack Caputo, sophomore, said.
In order to curb potential tardiness, students should take strides to get to school earlier.
“Definitely come in sooner than you normally would,” Messer said. “It’s going to be important because everyone’s going to be confused.”
There are also concerns about their binders and the metal in them which could set off the metal detectors.
“It’s more so the shape of the metal, so thermoses, they could be confused for other cylindrical shaped metal things,” Messer said. “I know eyeglass cases that are metal, they set them off, but it’s mainly Stanley Cups and the chrome books and umbrellas.”
With the recent additions to school security, it is important students do not bring anything illegal to campus such as metal weapons or vapes. IDs will also need to be scanned upon entrance to school, so students should always have their ID on them.
“It’s going to make sure kids are not bringing what they’re not supposed to inside,” Nunziata said.
Despite this, there are still lingering doubts about the effectiveness of the measure.
“It’s definitely not going to make it less safe, but I feel like the precaution they are taking for a school that is as safe as this one is, I don’t feel like it’s going to do anything,” Caputo said.
Faculty, during the week prior to spring break, had students ease into the change by having them walk with their backpacks in front of them, despite the metal detectors not yet being installed. While the process may be difficult at first, students will become accustomed to it.
“Anything you prepare for, it comes easy, and although we just started this week, with the backpacks in front, it seemed like today it went pretty quick,” Rick said. “By the time the kids get all the routine down, it goes pretty quickly.”
Numerous students at the school share this sentiment.
“In the beginning, it’s going to be difficult to get a hang of, but for the long term, it’s going to be better,” Nunziata said.
