After gun incident at school, William Floyd officials seek to add metal detectors by end of school year
William Floyd school officials said Tuesday they’re interviewing potential vendors in hopes of having metal detectors installed throughout the district by the end of this school year — a decision made after a student allegedly was found to have a loaded handgun at the high school earlier this month.
In response to the incident, the school board last week decided in an emergency meeting to equip "designated entrances" in its K-12 schools with walk-through metal detectors.
Schools Superintendent Kevin Coster said at a board meeting Tuesday night that the district is meeting with vendors, watching demonstrations and hoping to begin testing detectors in “random locations” soon. Officials noted that students, mostly with backpacks, are randomly being scanned with handheld metal detectors.
“Please note that there will be many challenges when we begin this implementation,” Coster said to a large group of parents. “Our goal is to make the process of school entry as safe and efficient as possible.”
Luis Medina, a district parent, said he believed the administration was moving in the right direction after the Oct. 18 incident. “It shows that the district is concerned and they’re being proactive,” he said. “It’s positive to see they’re putting things in place.”
Some parents asked about additional safety measures such as hiring armed guards or mandating clear backpacks, but school officials said they will not implement those measures now.
At least 20 school districts, mainly in Suffolk County, have hired or are planning to add armed guards to their campuses, Newsday reported in May.
Coster said the district will reallocate money from its budget to pay for the metal detectors, but the cost remains unclear. “Since this is a reallocation of funding, already approved from last year’s budget, there will be no additional cost to taxpayers,” he said.
William Floyd is one of the largest school districts on Long Island, with 9,400 students. It has one high school, two middle schools and five elementary schools. It also runs two alternative education programs: Floyd Academy for grades 10-12 and William Floyd Learning Center for elementary-age children.
William Floyd officials said they plan to consult other districts that use metal detectors. Newsday reported last year that at least one district on Long Island, Uniondale, has them. School officials there declined to comment Wednesday.
Suffolk County Police Officer Elisa McVeigh, with the department’s homeland security section, made a presentation on school safety following Coster’s opening comments. She also discussed survival strategies, response plans and methods to identify potential threats.
Michael Stam, the school’s director of human resources who also oversees school security, presented the district’s emergency response plan.
School officials said they discovered the student with a handgun shortly before dismissal on Oct. 18 but waited to alert parents as Suffolk police investigated. The 14-year-old, whom police have not identified due to his age, is facing criminal charges.
The student had been brought to an administrator’s office on suspicion of vaping and was allegedly found in possession of a loaded handgun, authorities recently said.
“The district is issuing severe consequences per the code of conduct and the maximum allowed consequences according to New York State education law,” Coster said.
