The Florida Department of Education voted Wednesday at its meeting in Orlando to approve additional school safety measures for K-12 schools throughout the state. Under these changes, schools must have a Primary and Secondary District Threat Management Coordinator who helps to assess and respond to threats.
Additionally, schools must enter all threats, active or otherwise, in the new Statewide Threat Management Portal. This portal acts as the one-stop-shop for this information throughout the state.
Office of Safe Schools Vice Chancellor Darren Norris said many of these changes have been inspired by conversations he’s had with students about school safety.
“Last week, we hosted student council members from around the state of Florida representing a variety of districts, large and small. The goal is to get the perspective of the students on school safety topics. And I have to tell you that it was several hours of the best conversation I think I've ever had,” said Norris.
The portal will go online August 1, and every school must report the names of the members of their school safety team to the Office of Safe Schools by that date.
Norris said Florida’s school safety measures are working, referencing recent conversations he’s had with students who survived the Florida State University shooting. Two people were killed when a gunman opened fire on campus in April.
“Students said ‘I knew exactly what to do,’ and they knew exactly what to do, because of the training that's provided by legislation here that's required in schools and our drills, they knew exactly what to do,” said Norris of the comments he heard from those students.
Despite students’ vouching for the usefulness of these drills, the board did not vote on a rule that would have required schools to increase the frequency of active shooter drills. Active shooter drills were mandated by Florida law in 2018, following the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Seventeen were killed in that shooting.
Newly-minted Education Commissioner Stasi Kamoutsas asked for the measure to be rewritten before the vote was taken, as he called some of its language confusing.
Kamoutsas has already taken an active leadership role at the helm of the state’s education department, despite starting the job on Monday.
Earlier this week, he sent a letter to Florida’s K-12 school districts charging them with reminding school leaders, teachers and staff of their obligations under Florida’s laws regarding parents rights in the state.
He asked schools to send parents home a letter he penned that outlines their rights and provides resources to defend these rights, including with the newly opened Attorney General’s Office of Parental Rights.
Kamoutsas replaces former education commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. who is now the interim President of University of West Florida.
School safety changes approved at today’s board meeting will take effect before the new school year begins the week of August 11.
Read Kamoutsas’ letter to parents here:
