PENDER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, metal detectors will begin to be used at high school football and basketball games in Pender County, according to the county school system.
Starting this Friday, fans going to high school football and basketball games this season in Pender County will see a big change in security.
Per Pender County Schools, the metal detectors will be used as a proactive approach to increasing security at large events. A $200,000 School Safety Grant was used in part to purchase the devices.
“There’s no reason behind it. We have not had any kind of incidents at all that I can think of. It’s just another proactive measure that we can do to keep our students as safe as they can be,” said Bob Fankboner a spokesperson for Pender County Schools.
He says it’s also not uncommon to walk through a metal detector before watching your favorite team.
“Metal detectors at athletic events aren’t really a new thing. You see them at the professional level. You go to a Panthers game, you go through metal detectors. You see them at the college level. I know UNCW has them, and you know it’s trickled down, and now it’s at the high school level,” said Fankboner.
As for what people can’t bring into the games? Mike Davis, the district’s athletic director says the list shouldn’t come as a shock.
“Right now we are looking for any obvious weapons, knives, guns, anything else that might be construed as a weapon. Those are the big ticket things that we are most concerned about at this time,” said Davis.
Funds from the grant were also used to install security cameras, provide safety training materials and purchase Stop the Bleed kits and evacuation chairs.
The school system also recommends that elementary and middle schoolers be accompanied by a chaperone at games. For those with bags, PCS asks attendees to bring either small or clear bags, although there is no strict policy in place currently.
“The grant, awarded by the Department of Public Instruction’s Center for Safer Schools, was part of a $35 million statewide initiative to improve safety measures across North Carolina. Pender County Schools is utilizing the funds to bolster security through the acquisition of additional safety equipment, including security cameras, AEDs, and portable metal detectors,” the PCS announcement states.
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