New security measures aim to make schools safer

Broward schools are scrambling to increase security, leading some parents to question why officials didn’t see it as urgent until a shooter killed 17 at a Parkland school.

District officials say they are reviewing options that include bullet-proof glass, office door buzzers and technology that does background checks on visitors. Some of those measures have been discussed for years and are used in other districts around the country.

Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said while security was always a priority, the shooting on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School “changed the standards that are accepted from the public.’’

For example, all students at Stoneman Douglas will be re- quired to go through metal-detecting wands and can carry only clear backpacks.

“There hadn’t been a call for metal detectors before. No one said that should be a priority,” Runcie said.

He said improved security, such as upgraded surveillance cameras and gates and fences to limit access, had been in the works before the attack. A recent district report says 61 projects have been completed, 31 are under construction and 23 are being designed. Sixteen projects are behind schedule, the report says.

Yet, that limit on access failed to deter killer Nikolas Cruz. He got on campus about 20 minutes before school ended, when the gates are opened for dismissal.

The school has the district’s most updated surveillance