ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – On Monday, students and visitors at Wekiva High School in Apopka will be welcomed by security screening devices. The new detection system is part of a seven-school pilot program costing $475,000 for Orange County Public Schools.
Orange County deputies reported nine firearms being removed from OCPS schools last year, in addition to a half-dozen other weapons.
The company that developed the devices said students will only be required to hand over their laptops as they walk through the screeners.
Tom McDermott said his role with CEIA USA is to education how to operate and maintain what the company calls their OPENGATE automatic screening system.
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“It’s one of the other things, unfortunately, we have to do these days, but it’s in conjunction with everything else; door locks, video cameras,” McDermott said. ”Ideally, what I’d like to help with is that we don’t need them.”
CEIA USA said their screeners are being used in more than 1,000 school districts across the country, including in South Florida.
“We have detection at the happiest place on earth at Disney. So if you are okay with it there, you are okay with it at the airports. Just trust that it’s just there for your safety. It’s not accusatory. We aren’t saying your kids are bad. It’s just nowadays, we have to have it more and more places,” McDermott said.
OCPS said if a prohibited item is detected, a secondary screening will take place. Following that, if an item is located, then disciplinary policies will determine punishment.
The company also said the process of students handing staff members their laptops instead of placing them on a table is an effort to reduce anxiety a student might feel while walking through the screening area.
The six other schools expected to test the devices are Boone, Horizon, Lake Nona, Evans, Timber Creek and Jones High Schools.
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