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Lancaster Co. students will soon pass through metal detectors before class

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Soon, high school students in Lancaster County will have to walk through metal detectors before going to class.

Officials said they're planning random scans at every high school in the district, starting immediately.

In a Facebook post, the director of safety and transportation said that the goal of the metal detectors is to stop weapons from getting into the schools.

He said district officials will be sending parents more information in the coming days, but also said they won't be sharing specific details of the plan because it would defeat its purpose.

"It'll be a blessing and will probably help each and every one of us,” said Debbie Lee, who has a kid in high school.

Earlier this week, police said a student brought a loaded gun to Andrew Jackson High School. The gun was found, along with marijuana, inside another student's backpack, police said.

"I hate to see it come down to that, but I honestly think it would be good for everybody,”  grandparent Rachel Ellis said.

District officials did not say the incident prompted the implementation of the metal detectors. They had been planned for a while, but leaders recently decided to speed up the process.

School district officials announced they will use metal detectors at random at all area high schools.

"We feel like that the environment right now, the parents and the community are receptive to this and we feel like this is something that the community will embrace," said Bryan Vaughn, the director of transportation and safety.

If students refuse to walk through a metal detector, it may be grounds for expulsion.

"It's certainly not a reflection of our county, or our community,” Vaughn said. “I think it's a reflection of the times in general.”

"Things is just getting worse, and you kind of have to take some precautions," Ellis said.

District officials won't release all of the details about their plan for the metal detectors, but students can expect to start seeing them in schools this month.

The school district has two walk-through metal detectors, and they cost as much as $7,500 apiece. The district is in the process of buying four more.

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