PARKLAND, FLA. (WSVN) - Broward County Public Schools has announced changes to safety and security protocols in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, as well as other incidents that have had a concerned community calling the safety of the county’s schools into question.
In a letter issued on Wednesday, Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie addressed the concerns.
“All safety protocols for routine school operations are being reinforced at all schools,” said Runcie.
Those measures include:
- requiring students and staff to wear identification badges while on campus
- locking classroom doors at all times
- locking and securing exterior doors and gates throughout the day
- being vigilant in monitoring the campus throughout the day
- conducting emergency preparedness and response training for faculty, staff and students on a regular basis
At Stoneman Douglas, security changes include:
- additional security personnel on campus, including 10 Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies and eight Florida Highway Patrol troopers
- students will be provided with clear backpacks for free when they return from spring break; it will be the only backpack they will be allowed to use
- district-wide ID badges must be worn by students and staff at all times
Runcie said the department is also “working with law enforcement agencies to evaluate the protocols and frequency of code red training and drills for all schools for the next school year.”
“We’re responding to what we’ve seen over the last couple of days, in terms of what we see as unacceptable lapses in security,” Runcie told 7News Wednesday night.
Students at the school Thursday reacted to the news of the new security measures, however, the news of the clear backpacks did not bode well with them.
“I’m still perfectly fine, but at the same time, I totally understand why someone wouldn’t want their student to be here,” said student Gary Winthorpe. “I think no backpacks at all is way better than just saying, ‘Oh, here, take a clear backpack.”
“I think they’re more like an invasion of student’s privacy,” said student Emma Norton.
News of the metal-detectors was received a bit better, but students still have some doubts.
“I think we should have them, and I understand why they’re doing it, but I just feel like it’s going to be chaos and havoc,” said student Conner Grady.
“The metal-detectors is really hard because there’s no one point of entry for our school,” said student Alanna O’Connell. “You can get in a whole bunch of places.”
The security measures at Stoneman Douglas come after BSO Deputy Moises Carotti was suspended for possibly sleeping in his patrol car when he was supposed to be monitoring the campus.
The president of the BSO union acknowledged possible missteps. “The accusation or the assumption that somebody may have been sleeping behind the wheel of a car does put another black eye on the Sheriff’s Office,” said Jeff Bell.
Parents hearing news of the security changes said it’s sad that there needs to be changes in the first place.
“Oh, my gosh, what is our kids’ high school turning into?” said parent Cathi Rush. “It’s crazy. These other things are happening that are completely freaking out our community,” said Rush. “Everybody’s exhausted – physically and mentally.”
Rush was captured by photographers Feb. 14 breaking down in tears when she could not reach her son in the wake of the mass shooting. Days after the massacre, her son, a ninth-grader, showed her the book cases his teacher used to block the classroom door. He also recreated how he hid under a desk.
Rush questioned if increased security will help students emotionally. “This blanket of sadness has been covering our entire town, and everybody’s just exhausted from this,” she said. “We just need some kind of relief.”
With the recent signing of a Florida school safety bill, Runcie said, the state will provide approximately $8.5 million to place one school resource officer in each school beginning on the 2018-19 school year.
In his letter, Runcie said the district is moving quickly to expedite some of the school safety laws and measures signed by Scott.
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