There’s no getting around it: the introduction of walk-through metal detectors at Broward County’s public high schools was an embarrassment for the school district. On the first day of school, thousands of students were stuck in long lines outside their schools because they were stopped by the metal detectors.

But on the second day, the school district managed to turn things around.

Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn was at Cypress Bay High School in Weston early this morning, shouting instructions through a megaphone to arriving students.

“Take out your laptops and you’ll get through the line faster,” Hepburn told students at the district’s largest school, where there was total chaos on Monday.

All hands had to go on deck to steer the ship away from the rocks. The students’ horror stories sound exactly like the one Lily McNulty, an eleventh-grader at South Broward High School, told us when we asked her if she had made it home on time yesterday.

“No, I got to class around 8:30!” McNulty said.

The first bell rings at 7.40 a.m.

Newly installed metal detectors caused major delays at several Broward County schools on the first day of school of the year. NBC6’s Ari Odzer reports

But yesterday’s disaster became today’s triumph. Students throughout the district passed through the metal detectors without any problems and without long delays.

“One day makes a big difference,” Hepburn said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “Because of some adjustments we made as a staff, based on communications we sent out to our students to help them prepare better before they actually start working with the systems, and it’s paid off. Once our students get their routines down, we’re not going to have any more problems in any of our schools.”

Hepburn said that at most high schools, most students got to school before the bell on Monday and made it on time. I asked him if the district had reduced the sensitivity of the metal detectors.

“So there’s been a recalibration of some systems, some adjustments have been made to some systems since it was brand new, it still doesn’t work on what we’re trying to check, which is weapons, knives and firearms,” ​​Hepburn replied.

One mother told us she was in favor of metal detectors if they provided more safety and security without causing delays.

“I think it’s worth it for the safety of the students and the staff,” said Tamara Font, who told us her son arrived at South Broward High School today without delay.

The school district has installed additional metal detectors at some of its larger schools, including Cypress Bay. The superintendent said there will be more improvements to the system, with the goal of having all students in class on time by the end of the week.