LEXINGTON, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – Some parents are questioning whether metal detectors should be installed in schools across Lexington School District One after administrators found two students with weapons on school grounds.
“It’s just extremely concerning,” one anonymous parent said.
A gun and a knife were discovered at Carolina Springs Middle School. On Tuesday, a student alerted staff that a female student may have had a kitchen knife in her bookbag, which staff later discovered.
Two days later, administrators found a loaded gun in a male student’s bookbag during an unrelated discipline issue. No students were harmed in either case. Both students face charges.
“We need a new policy and new safety measures put in place because obviously the current ones we have, they’re not working,” the anonymous parent said.
There are currently no metal detectors in any Lexington One schools. The anonymous parent said she offered to fund pop-up metal detector systems for the school. She said the district declined the offer.
“We don’t need to wait until a horrible incident takes place before we take action,” the parent said.
Libby Roof, chief communications officer for the district, said installing metal detectors is not simple, as it takes research to make sure the metal detectors work effectively.
“It would certainly change the daily experience of our schools, and we want to make sure if the district moves in that direction that we have lots of opportunity for folks to talk about it and give input,” Roof said.
The district currently uses safety measures including individual school safety plans, school resource officers, and Centegix, a crisis alert system.
District leaders said there are no concrete plans to put metal detectors in schools but said they are open to having that conversation with parents.
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