BOCA RATON, FLA. (WSVN) - Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced his proposal for allocating $1 million in security funds for Jewish Day schools in the state.Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced his proposal for allocating $1 million in security funds for Jewish Day schools in the state.
Making the announcement at Katz Hillel Day School of Boca Raton, Monday, Scott said all students should feel safe at all schools.
The announcement comes after the multiple Jewish centers in Florida received bomb threats back in January.
“We have absolutely zero tolerance for these hateful and anti-Semitic acts,” Scott said. “Our state has taken important action to keep our students and all of our families safe.”
The proposal is for the 2018-2019 budget, and the money will go towards enhanced security cameras, bulletproof windows and security fencing around the perimeter of the schools.
Officials are also looking to install high-tech doors that allow personnel to remotely lock the doors to the building.
“One of our priorities is enhanced access control to better monitor all the doors, be able to lock them instantly, unlock them instantly and know exactly what’s going on, who’s going in and at what time,” said Rabbi Adam Englande, the head of Katz Hillel.
The state allotted $654,000 for security funds for Jewish schools in 2017. That came at the request of Scott, after nearly 200 bomb threats to Jewish Schools across the country in 2016.
Katz Hillel Day School was even the target of one of the threats. “There’s been a lot of anti-Semitism, there’s a lot of threats to our schools,” Scott said. “That shouldn’t be happening in our society. We want every student in our state to be safe.”
“It will help protect us from a lot more anti-Semitic thoughts from people, and it will make it easier for this school to be a better place for us to learn,” said student Shoshi Greene.
“We’ve been targeted. We’ve been targeted before. We’re sure, as relating to our religion, we’ll be targeted again, but our job is to just, therefore, make security a priority,” Englande said.
The state legislature must still approve the funding, so Scott is urging students, parents and residents to call their local representatives to push for the funding.
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