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Orange County students will face random metal-detector screenings

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Students in Orange County public schools will be subject to random metal-detector screenings, the school system announced Wednesday.

Superintendent Barbara Jenkins directed the district to begin the random screenings in the 184 schools immediately.

They will continue through the end of the school year, in early June, according to the school system.

In a press release, the school system said the decision to add the new layer of security was the result of school leaders' discussions with local and state law enforcement officials and security experts in recent weeks.

The random screenings will be done by security personnel in cooperation with school administrators, according to the press release.

"I personally never bring anything like that, so it wouldn't affect me, so I don't care," said senior Darren Crittenden.

Last week, Glenridge Elementary School in Baldwin Park was locked down for most of a day when a parent called to say their child had heard there would be a shooting at the school. Police found a loaded handgun clip in a trashcan on the campus.

On Wednesday, a student at Colonial High School was arrested after investigators said they found a handgun in his backpack.

The Orange County school system said deputies were on campus talking to three students about something that happened off campus. It's during that conversation they say 17-year-old Russell Teague told them he had a loaded .33-caliber handgun in his backpack.

"This is just, it's enough already," said parent Marti Morris.

The district sent parents a "Connect Orange Alert," which is a type of reverse phone service.

But some were concerned they weren't given enough information.

The school not locked down, and some students said they didn't know about the gun until they left school for the day.

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