The state, the School Board and the Sheriff

Florida County Looks for More Funds for School Security

The state, the School Board and the Sheriff's department battle over funds for school security.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • April 25, 2018

A Clay County sheriff is passionately asking for more funds to cover the costs of staffing and equipment associated with having and SRO in each of the Clay County schools.

Sheriff Darryl Daniels spend several hours at a Clay County School Board meeting Monday afternoon discussing how to pay for the new school security. It was at this time that he told those in the room that he would be open to arresting any local official if officials don't help to find funding for the schools.

Clay County is $1.8 million closer to finding funds needed to cover the cost of adding SRO's to 44 public schools, but according to Daniels, that still leaves the county millions of dollars short. Daniels said his agency will need $4.5 million to comply with the new Florida state law that says all public schools need SRO's on campus.

Daniels said the law doesn't include penalties for county commissions or school boards that don't comply, but he'd be willing to enforce it.

"If they’re violating the law, it doesn’t matter what their job description is; I wouldn’t even hesitate," Daniels said after the school board meeting.

The county commission's $1.8 million, which still needs to be voted on, would be a one-time allocation and even combined with the state's money of $1.5 million, it still leaves the county several million short of what Daniels says they need to hire 30 new deputies.

“I think we have a clear vision in reference to what we have to do as a school district,” Clay County Superintendent Addison Davis said. “I know we’ll have to look and see what additional reserves we have or what additional revenues we can generate to make this happen. We will be prepared for day one in Clay County. We stand confident by that.”

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Emerging Campus Access Control Solutions

    Emerging solutions in campus access control can mean different things. Usually, we expect the topic to focus on the very latest in door security products and solutions that have just been recently released or are about to be launched. After all, staying up on improvements to keep campuses safer is critical. Plus, it’s always interesting and exciting to learn what’s new and how innovations are going to better protect lives and assets and help the industry be even more successful. Read Now

  • Here’s How Instructional Audio Can Play a Key Role in School Safety

    Ensuring the safety of students and employees is critical in today’s educational environment. While the threat of a school shooting is in the back of everyone’s mind, the truth is there are many possible scenarios that could crop up at any time in classrooms, hallways, and other school spaces—from fights or altercations to a sick child or staff member who requires emergency attention. Read Now

  • How School Security Continues to Advance

    For more than 30 years, I’ve been fully immersed in security operations in K-12 schools, including working in school safety in Littleton, Colorado during the attack at Columbine High School in 1999. That incident, coupled with those before and since, underscores the critical need for continued improvement in safety and security measures in our schools. Thankfully, ongoing advancements in security technology enable prompt response to critical threats as well as daily operational efficiency Read Now

  • The Role of Trusted Access Control and Identity Management

    The diverse and dynamic campus environments of modern post-secondary institutions rely on multiple systems and processes to ensure campus security and operational efficiency. Read Now

Most   Popular

Webinars