PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - Broward County school officials are working with the community to make life on campus as safe as possible for students and faculty.
Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie and other leaders were ready to answer questions and take suggestions about security at a forum at Plantation High School, Wednesday night.
Since the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, an increased security presence has been incorporated onto campus, but it’s not the only school with safety in mind.
“Get some feedback and hear from the community, our students, our employees, our community members,” Runcie said.
Runcie hosted a forum at Plantation High School to discuss the stepped up protection, school resource officers, mental health counseling and support services.
A student at the event spoke candidly to school officials about the next steps after the Parkland school shooting. “Will you do everything in your power to prevent this from ever happening at any other Broward County school?” he asked.
Runcie responded, “The answer to that would be yes. That’s my job, that’s my responsibility. Safety is our biggest priority, and it’s going to be our biggest focus with this community moving forward.”
Runcie’s forum was not the only one that was held on Wednesday.
In Washington, senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson hosted a bipartisan forum on school safety. They focused on criminal background checks and tracking information on red flag scenarios.
Some parents who were affected the most from the Stoneman Douglas shooting traveled to Washington D.C.
“We need a different approach, we need a new direction,” said Max Schacter, whose son Alex was killed in the Parkland school shooting. “I embarked on a mission here to see what we could do. Alex died because there was no protection in the schools. There was no protection in the doors.”
The objective at both forums is to make schools safer, and to do it with open mind and ears.
“Gonna continue to learn and get better, and we’re open to suggestions and feedback,” Runcie said, “which is why we’re having this forum tonight.”
The future of the building where 17 students and teachers were killed on Feb. 14 was also brought up during the forum. Runcie said $26 million has been allocated to demolish the building and build a new one.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.