Florida School Districts Criticized for Failing to Enact Required Safety Measures

Florida School Districts Criticized for Failing to Enact Required Safety Measures

A report that was recently released by a statewide grand jury chastises Florida school districts for failing to comply with safety measures that were set out after the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

  • By Kaitlyn DeHaven
  • July 31, 2019

The first report from a statewide grand jury chastises Florida school districts for failing to enact required safety measures.

The interim report was released a few weeks ago by Attorney General Ashley Moody and warns school districts that they must quickly start complying with safety measures passed by the Legislature following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting.

One armed person is required in every campus, and law enforcement must be involved in assessments to determine the level of threat certain students pose due to these measures. In addition, accurate crime and safety reports must be turned into the state.

“We have heard days of testimony from Department of Education, school district and law enforcement officials regarding administrative hurdles, increased costs to their districts, and shortages of the qualified employees necessary to bring these districts into compliance with these important safety measures,” the report says. “Without discussing the specifics of their explanations, suffice it to say we find this testimony wholly unpersuasive.”

Originally, it seemed as if the grand jury was only going to be looking at Broward county in Florida, but the report suggests they are looking statewide.

"We find that law enforcement and school district officials have had sufficient time to bring their districts into compliance with these laws, and we fully expect that these officials will use the remaining days before the first day of the 2019-20 school year to do whatever it takes to bring these districts into full compliance,” the report says.

The grand jury will keep the information about which districts are not complying confidential until its term has ended.

About the Author

Kaitlyn DeHaven is the Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Door Hardware and Campus Security: Enhancing Safety in Schools

    The importance of investing in school safety cannot be overstated, but knowing where to start implementation of school safety features can be a challenge. A recent survey by the National Center on Education Statistics found that a quarter of U.S. public schools have classrooms with doors that can't be locked from the inside. Even among schools with doors that do lock, recent legislation reflects a common misconception that simply keeping the doors locked all day will eliminate the potential for an attack, in direct violation of PASS (Partner Alliance for Safer Schools) Guidelines. Read Now

  • Brigham Young University Strengthens Campus Security With Genetec Operations Center

    Genetec Inc, a provider of enterprise physical security software, announced that Brigham Young University's (BYU) has optimized its security operations with the Genetec™ Operations Center work management system. Read Now

  • AI-based Risk Mitigation: The Next Advancement in Video Surveillance and Public Safety

    Safety is at the forefront of every organization and covers a gamut of scenarios, not just weapon-fueled lethal threats. It also includes smaller-scale and everyday situations like slipping hazards, fallen persons, unauthorized vehicles, and more. These issues cause disruptions in daily operations and cost companies and facilities money and downtime, so a fully realized security plan must involve actions that facility personnel should take once a hazard of any size occurs. Informing everyone that a hazard exists, where it’s located, and what actions to take is imperative for maintaining personal safety. Read Now

  • Fort Worth ISD Strengthens Event Safety

    The issue of concealed weapons being introduced into school extracurricular activities, including sporting events and graduations, became a growing concern in communities across the nation. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were at least 202 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in 2024 across the United States, resulting in 56 deaths and 147 injuries, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced safety protocols. Read Now

Most   Popular