William Floyd school officials detail plans to add metal detectors 

William Floyd school officials said they’re interviewing potential vendors in hopes of having metal detectors implanted throughout the district by the end of this school year — a decision made after a student was allegedly found to have a loaded handgun at the high school earlier this month.

In response to the incident, the board of education last week decided in an emergency meeting to equip "designated entrances" in its K-12 schools with walk-through metal detectors.

School Superintendent Kevin Coster said at a Tuesday night board meeting that the district is meeting with vendors, watching demonstrations and hoping to begin testing detectors in “random locations” in the near future.

“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.”

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 at this time.

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 added.

William Floyd is one of the largest school districts on Long Island with 9,400 students.

The district 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.

A Suffolk County police officer with the department’s homeland security section made a presentation on school safety following Coster’s opening comments. The school’s Director of Human Resources, Michael Stam, who also oversees school security, also 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 maximal allowed consequences according to New York state education law,” Coster said.

Check back for updates on this developing story.