Four High Schools in Volusia County Have Installed Metal Detectors, More Schools to Follow

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – An update from the school district on Tuesday revealed that four high schools in Volusia County have now implemented metal detectors as part of their security measures.

School district officials confirmed the metal detectors are up and running at:

• Atlantic High School in Port Orange

• Pine Ridge High School in Deltona

• Taylor Middle-High School in Pierson

• Mainland High School in Daytona Beach

The district still needs to add them to six other schools, but plans to have them up and running soon.

In the meantime, the district also has portable metal detectors that allow for random searches, but they are not at every school.

[WATCH: Volusia County Schools using AI to detect weapons on campus]

“I believe this is actually beneficial,” stated Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry on Tuesday. “This sends a signal to students and outsiders alike that our schools are not locations for violence and will not be prone to the risks of gun violence, reflecting the current era we live in.”

Metal detectors are just one part of Volusia County’s security plan for its schools this year.

As discussed by News 6’s Volusia County Community Correspondent Molly Reed in August, several strategies are being employed by the district and sheriff’s office to detect threats.

These include an AI-based gun detection system called ZeroEyes, which uses cameras to spot firearms on school grounds and alert authorities, along with a newly established Behavioral Threat Unit designed to identify threats and swiftly respond before they escalate.

[WATCH: A conversation with Volusia County’s education, safety leaders]

In the last academic year, law enforcement reviewed more than 900 Fortify Florida tips related to rumors, social media postings, and other threats, resulting in a few actual incidents, leading to about three dozen arrests.

Many of those incidents led to school lockdowns.