PARKLAND, Fla. – In the wake of the February 14^th Parkland school shooting tragedy, the Broward County School District is presenting new security measures as a new school year approaches for students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High (MSDH), site of the mass shooting.

The district initially sought to require students to wear transparent backpacks to school, an idea which was met with both skepticism and criticism of its overall effectiveness.

Presently, the school has made changes by requiring students to wear identification badges, increasing campus security and reducing the amount of entryways. Now, the campus will be introducing their next safety solution.

The district will no longer be pushing the formerly proposed clear backpacks and will instead be installing metal detectors into MSDH to clear all students upon campus entry.

A district spokeswoman, Jaquelyn Calzadilla stated that Miami-Dade County has “a districtwide random weapons search program that is conducted with metal detector wands and is exploring the feasibility of expanding the program based on school size and student population,” adding that the district is also exploring the possibility of stationary metal detectors.

Metal detectors being used as a security tool is nothing new in schools, with the technology frequently implemented in metropolises. Various school districts, including ones in South Florida, have long rejected this solution, putting their focus on mental health and possible warning signs in students.

MSDH will also add four additional security officers, more school resource officers, an extra 52 cameras and more gates and locking mechanisms.

MSDG student, Gabriella Figueroa told CBS Miami that she feels a lot safer since no one is going to bring [weapons] when the schools has metal detectors.

The League of Cities Task force wrote in a June report that it “strongly recommends” that the district consider metal detectors countywide while tackling the challenges of ensuring the fairness and consistency of their use.

“The physical deployment of these must be uniform across the district,” the report says, recommending the district study how the detectors are used in other districts with large schools. The report said the district should create methods to check students, while maintaining respect for their privacy and personal belongings.

Drew said the district will not violate student privacy by requiring all students to go through the metal detectors to ensure efficiency and impartiality.

District officials haven’t yet clarified exactly how the metal detectors would work, including whether students will walk through them or be scanned with portable wands. It’s also uncertain whether the district would begin installing them in other schools.

Photo License: Creative Commons.

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Fifth Third Arena is home to the UC Bearcats men’s and women’s basketball teams and women’s volleyball team. Renovations to the 26-year-old facility, originally named the Myrl H. Shoemaker Center, include the creation of a 360-degree seating bowl with space for 11,500 spectators. The new design will reduce the arena’s capacity from 13,176 seats to 11,500, which allows for more comfortable seating — permanent seats will replace rollaway bleachers — and better spectator sight lines. These new changes finally address issues that were apparent since the arena first opened in September 1989.

The renovation also includes new concessions and restrooms, an upper-level concourse with fan amenities, expanded food and beverage options, a new Bearcats lounge and super suites. A new main entrance and plaza with ticketing and guest services round out the rest of the renovation. The project is pursuing LEED certification.

Construction on the arena’s four new luxury suites above the end-zone seating will begin next month; however, major renovation work won’t start until next spring after the 2016-17 basketball season ends, according to Cincinnati.com. During construction, the Bearcats will need to find a place to play for the 2017-18 basketball season. No location has been chosen yet.

Last August, UC Board of Trustees approved an interim $2.2 million funding request to allow the Populous and Moody Nolan design team — both of which hold offices across the nation — to remain on schedule, with construction anticipated to start in March 2016. As of December 2015, the university had raised only $25 million for the project, forcing it late last year to push back most of the work to April 2017. The project is expected to be 100 percent privately funded through suite and ticket sales as well as donations, according to Cincinnati.com.

The construction of the new arena may help enhance the school’s chances of joining the Big 12 conference, as several schools compete for bids. For instance, the University of Memphis pledged to make $500 million in facilities upgrades if it joins the Big 12, according to Cincinnati.com. UC, itself, has made $300 million in facilities upgrades in the past decade, including an $86 million of Nipper Stadium last year. If UC joined the Big 12, UC President Santa Ono said the university could look at expanding the stadium even more, reported Cincinnati.com.

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