St. Lucie County is among the latest school districts to implement metal detectors in its high schools.
The county follows suit of other counties in their goal of making the schools safer for everyone. Such counties include Palm Beach, Broward, and Brevard counties.
The metal detectors will be implemented and rotated randomly, without warning. The only exception being the first time they are brought to a school, where the parents will receive notice to help ensure the process goes smoothly as students go through it initially.
"It's just another added layer of security," said Lydia Martin, chief communications officer with the school district.
All St. Lucie Schools have a minimum of one sheriff's deputy as a school resources officer, with high schools each having two.
The unpredictability, the district says, adds to the effectiveness of the metal detectors.
"It's the unpredictability about it which adds to deterring students," Martin said.
In addition, while providing additional security, having the detectors be added on a rotating basis prevents from school operations being disrupted too frequently.
"It takes a lot of man power to run the metal detectors, so with this plan, our school security officers are able to man those so that it's not a heavy burden on school staff," Martin said.
Martin also emphasized that since when these detectors are truly random, their presence does not indicate a threat.
"It is important for people to know that just because there are metal detectors there, doesn't mean there is a concern or issue," she said.
School is officially back in session today for the 2025-2026 school year, with St. Lucie County students returning back to the classroom this morning.