ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Starting Feb. 1, the school day is going to be a little different for students at Rowan-Salisbury Schools.
Students and parents received a notice Thursday that students at middle and high schools can expect random metal detector checks.
These checks will include searching bookbags, lunch boxes, purses, or other personal items.
The school said these new security checks are an extra step to ensure safety while on school grounds, which is an issue some students said needs addressing.
“I really don’t feel safe here because people go inside and attack people that we don’t know or kids have guns," Salisbury High School student Madelin Cartegeni said. "I don’t feel safe."
Another student, Ryan Truman, gave a similar statement.
“We’ve had problems with people bringing in stuff they shouldn’t be before, so there’s a history,” Truman said.
School officials said this change is a preventative measure and a deterrent. They also called this change a response to the national reality.
Still, some students say that, because there are other safety measures in place like a gate and “having to buzz in,” they don’t think the extra security measures are necessary.
“I feel like it’s going to make coming to school longer, people are going to be late to class more," Salisbury High School senior Salei Seisay said. "Also, a lot of students … leave and come back. I feel like it’s going to make tardies worse, even though that’s already a big problem they have here."
Although some parents say they didn’t realize the issue of safety was that bad at the school, they think the change is great.
School officials also added only RSS Staff will be permitted to conduct searches, not the school resource officer.
WCNC Charlotte has been covering the discussion of metal detectors in schools across the region for years.
In 2021, the Lancaster County School District expanded its policy regarding metal detectors, saying students can be scanned while getting off the bus, entering the school, or outside of classrooms. Mooresville High School announced new security measures for home football games in September 2022 after a bomb threat was made at the school.
In March 2022, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools began the process of testing body scanners in high schools across the district. That move came after a record number of guns had been found on CMS campuses. According to a CMS purchase order, $1.6 million was spent on equipment needed for the body scanners in the first seven schools.
Last November, an Anson County High School student was caught attempting to bring a gun into school when he was going through the metal detector prior to school starting.
Contact Anna King at aking2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.