Sumter County School District has now installed metal detectors in all of its schools.
"Just because danger hasn’t happened doesn’t mean it couldn’t. That’s my big message for everybody, this is just an extra step to be proactive,” Alice Drive Elementary School Principal Eric Masaitis said.
Alice Drive Elementary now has two metal detectors on its campus.
Masaitis said parents initially had concerns after the announcement but promises this initiative is all about safety for their young ones.
"Once they see these, they're like what does that mean? Does that mean that they have this big problem?" Masaitis said. "In the history of school, no students has been hurt with a weapon, so that's a good thing for us."
Having these safety devices on campus is not rare, as this was a planned expansion after a successful high school pilot program last year at the high schools.
The goal, Masaitis said, is to keep a proactive mindset for both parents and students.
"It's something that was needed because of how the world was going. There is nothing that actually triggered it. It's just one of those additional safety measures that we rolled out this academic school year."
Some common items that can trigger the alarm include chrome books, cell phones, 3 ring binders, hairspray cans, deodorant spray cans, metal watches, key rings and glasses cases.
"All they do is walk right through it, and it beeps," said parent Katherine Spigner. "I have to be honest, I feel thankful that they are taking extra measures for our safety."
Spigner, who currently has two daughters in the Sumter school district said she was initially skeptical after the announcement about the new devices on the school's Facebook page but is happy to see Alice Drive is going above and beyond to keep her daughter safe.
"To be honest, I was surprised, of course. In high school, I could see it, and in middle school, but I thought they are coming to the elementary school, wow!" Spigner said. "I appreciated that because it made me feel like they took the time to do the research on it.”
Alice Drive Elementary's safety coordinator says if a weapon is found in a bag, that student will be asked to leave the campus.
All metal detectors for middle and elementary schools were installed for the first day of school.