Students and staff throughout St. Martin Parish Schools have now added a mandatory routine to their mornings. Walking through a walk-through metal detector.
The metal detector at Breaux Bridge Junior High School is located at the campus’s main entrance for students. Assistant Principal Coy Darby said there is a protocol if the detector goes off.
“We have discovered a few cellphones a few metal canisters that children bring for lunch, they do ring we just kinda pull them to the side search them make sure everything is good, and then send them back to class once everything is safe,” Darby said.
Darby said the school had the metal detector since last year, but they weren’t able to use them until there was a policy from the school district in place.
The policy was first introduced to the community before being implemented.
“It’s a much safer feeling and a much safer feeling for the other kids to know that our campus is safe,” Darby said.
“There’s no harmful weapons or electronics that they could bring to video or hurt. Breaux Bridge and the students are safe, the staff feels safe, everybody here feels safe.”
Jana Babin is a parent of two students attending Breaux Bridge High School. She feels this adds an extra layer of safety.
“I think that it’s actually one of the first good things that our school board has done for us in a long time,” Babin said.
“No one thinks that violence is gonna come this close to our communities but it is it’s here so.”
she would like to eventually see the metal detectors in elementary schools as well.
“I don’t think that it could hurt anything I think that it would be very beneficial especially when they’re young and they don’t expect it,” Babin said.
Breaux Bridge Junior High School Principal Lisa Sylvester said the detector prevented 12 students from bringing their phones in on the first day of school.
Sylvester said not only does this policy ensure safety within the school, but within the city as well.
“I think it makes a big difference, a huge difference we know cause every student has passed through the detectors so we know that there’s no weapons on campus and we’re in the city of Breaux Bridge, and the students are safe, the staff feels safe everybody here feels safe,” Sylvester said.
Last school year the school district implemented a clear bag policy for students.
