ORLANDO, Fla. – With students at Central Florida public schools now about a month into their classes, a fair shake of primary and secondary campuses in our coverage area have already experienced some form of disruption in response to perceived threats.
Whether these recent holds, lockdowns and on-campus arrests have been spurred by rumors, the discovery of weapons, concerning statements, or protocols erring on the side of caution, some of our school districts are already in the process of implementing their own new security measures while others have come out with recent statements addressing student safety and all, in general, are subject to increasingly-robust state laws.
Per Florida law, there must be at least one safe-school officer established at or assigned to each public school in the state. Additionally, classrooms must be locked during class time, all gates and other campus access points must remain closed and locked while students are on campus and each district school board or charter school governing board must adopt a progressive discipline policy for personnel who knowingly violate school safety requirements, among many other measures.
[RELATED: Here are the new school security rules now in effect in Florida]
The following is a county-by-county breakdown of recent safety-related happenings in Central Florida’s public school districts:
Brevard County
In June, the Brevard County School Board voted in favor of expanding the Sheriff Training On-Site Marshall Program (STOMP) to allow school district personnel who meet the qualifications to assume the role of armed “campus guardians.” According to Brevard Public Schools, employees who are accepted will undergo vetting before taking part in the STOMP program. The district also said any employee who completes the training will only be able to prevent or stop an active assailant situation on district property with no other law enforcement authority outside of those scenarios.
More recently, a school district spokesperson told News 6 that Melbourne High School will be the district’s first to test out new metal detectors for students, taking the lead in “a phased-in approach” which will see the system installed at all district high schools by the end of the school year.
A 13-year-old student was also arrested in Cocoa Beach Monday, accused of making a threat online to a school.
Flagler County
The Flagler County School District updated its messaging on school safety protocols during the last school year in response to repeated “swatting” calls, primarily targeting Buddy Taylor Middle School and nearby Wadsworth Elementary. The district adhered for the remainder of the school year to its Safety and Security Plan, continuing normal operations with increased law enforcement on all campuses as a proactive measure.
On Monday a 13-year-old student was accused of making an online threat against a Flagler County middle school and was arrested. She said she had just been joking with a friend.
“Swatting calls” are a rising trend nationwide where a caller makes fake reports that draw an onslaught of law enforcement and cause lockdowns. In most instances concerning schools, the caller is a current or former student, according to the sheriff’s office.
Lake County
Lake County Schools announced at the beginning of the school year that it would add another layer of security by equipping its panic-button alert system with cameras. All school employees are to wear a panic-alert button, provided by CENTEGIX, which when triggered will immediately notify the school’s ingrained security system and activate cameras in the vicinity of the alert. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office will then have access to the video feed in seconds and be able to dispatch deputies to the threat, due in part to its newly-created Real Time Crime Center.
Marion County
Last week on social media, Marion County Public Schools said it was working with local law enforcement agencies “regarding a non-credible threat made in another state earlier this week,” underscoring for readers that the threat had no local ties and that more information would be shared in case anything different were determined.
A 16-year-old Dunnellon High School student was arrested Friday morning and transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice, charged with sending a written threat to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The student is accused of making a social media post depicting himself holding what appeared to be a rifle — which deputies later verified was an airsoft gun, though they noted there were other real firearms in the student’s home — with the words “HE’S BAAAAACK” in red letters across the screen. The school’s assigned resource officer had been notified of the post by a concerned parent, according to the sheriff’s office.
The district’s Department of Safe Schools has a stated mission to safeguard Marion County campuses “by implementing strategic security measures, providing invaluable lines of cross-communication and support to our law enforcement community partners, while providing a safe learning environment through prevention, intervention, and emergency preparedness planning.”
Orange County
Orange County Public Schools has reinstated a new absent notification system developed after the death of Madeline Soto, whose mother said she first learned about her daughter’s absence from Hunter’s Creek Middle School when she was sent an automatic attendance notification at the end of the day. The system is now designed to notify parents of their child’s absence both at the beginning and end of the school day.
Regarding the risk of weapons reaching the campuses of Orange County district schools, a security screening pilot program that began in 2023 ended during the previous school year without implementation. According to OCPS Superintendent Maria Vasquez, students in the pilot program experienced delays getting to classes. A spokesperson for the district pointed to “the overall cost and the required number of staff to run the system on a daily basis” as other reasons the program was scrapped, though it was noted that random searches were still on the table.
Boone High School, one of the seven schools where the pilot program had first been implemented, saw two of its students arrested Friday morning, accused of bringing a loaded gun to campus. Having received a tip, Orlando police say they quickly located a 17-year-old female 10th-grade student with a loaded 9mm handgun in her backpack. Upon further investigation, police determined the teen was given the gun by her 19-year-old boyfriend, a 12th-grade student at the school, with plans to return the firearm to him later. Both students were arrested and charged with possession of a firearm on a school campus, with the 19-year-old also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, police said.
On Monday, Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez sent a letter to parents reminding them of the consequences of making a false school threat report and urged them to talk to their children.
I want to let you know that we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate each and every report. Some may think of it as a prank or joke, but we take it seriously and must engage a formal threat assessment when we become aware of the threat. Any student who makes a threat against a school can face serious consequences not only a violation of the Code of Student Conduct but through law enforcement including suspension, expulsion, even arrest. Nobody wants a police visit to their home over a foolish prank. It also means a waste of precious resources and undue stress on students and staff.
Please talk to your children regarding safety expectations and remember to check their backpacks for items that are not allowed on school property. We are doing random weapon screenings across the district using our walk-thru technology and/or the hand-held wands. We also know that, “see something, say something” works so please report anything suspicious by contacting the school, or reporting it through the Fortify Florida app.
Dr. Maria Vazquez, OCPS superintendent
Osceola County
Students in Osceola County of grades 6 through 12 will be subject to random searches starting this school year. With students selected using an electronic randomization tool operated at the district level, such searches will be conducted on a regular basis by school administration and principal designees utilizing handheld metal detection devices, according to district statements.
Osceola High School was the first campus in the district to permanently install metal detection systems.
[RELATED: Here’s what the new security measures look like at Osceola County schools]
The Osceola County Schools website states detailed safety and emergency plans exist for every district site, adding various drills are regularly conducted and that the district maintains “excellent collaborative relationships” with local law enforcement agencies.
Polk County
Polk County Public Schools on Wednesday said on social media that a threatening message circulating online had claimed an act of school violence was going to take place, yet it adds the message was investigated and found to have originated from out of state and altered “to make it appear that it mentions different school sites.”
The district asked that those who see such messages not share them on social media. Instead, they’re instructed to notify school administrators or law enforcement.
Please be advised that this message has already been thoroughly investigated by law enforcement. The message originated outside the state of Florida and has nothing to do with our schools.
Law enforcement has determined that there is NO credible threat against any PCPS school site.
Polk County Public Schools on Facebook, Sept. 11, 2024 (excerpt)
Seminole County
Last week in Seminole County, a 16-year-old student was arrested Wednesday after an unloaded gun was found at Lake Brantley High School, prompting a “code yellow” there, and another arrest — this time of a 15-year-old — was announced Friday in connection to a rumored-yet-unsubstantiated threat targeting Seminole High School, which drew an increased presence of law enforcement to the latter campus on Thursday.
A petition is circulating online demanding Lake Brantley High School administration and the Altamonte Springs government work to install metal detectors at the campus in order to prevent any more guns from being brought in. Already with more than 2,000 signatures, the petition’s creator writes, “(our) children deserve secure spaces free from fear and harm, and it’s in our hands to provide it to them.”
A Seminole County Public Schools spokesperson has said discussions are being had with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office’s school safety division. The district has at least one law enforcement officer at each elementary and middle school in the county, and at least two officers at each high school. Every school also has a trained threat assessment team.
Seminole County Superintendent Serita Beamon and Sheriff Dennis Lemma issued a joint video statement on Thursday urging parents to talk to their kids about the consequences of making threatening remarks to schools, especially in light of a deadly school shooting last week in Georgia.
“When false reports and pranks are reported, vital resources are drained,” Lemma said. “These actions are irresponsible and simply cannot be tolerated.”
The joint statement was included at the top of the school district’s “School Safety & Security” webpage, which otherwise lacks textual information updated past the 2023-24 school year.
The safety and security of students and staff is a top priority in Seminole County Public Schools. We work closely with local, state and federal agencies to ensure that our school district meets regulatory requirements and utilizes preventative safety measures. The Office of School Safety and Security is a collaboration between Seminole County Public Schools and the Seminole County Sheriff’ s Office in order to facilitate the elements of our integrated proactive security initiative. The School Safety and Security Manager serves as the liaison between the Schools and the Sheriff’ s Office. This position is in direct support of Seminole County Public Schools’ mission and the Sheriff’ s Office commitment to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff.
The School Resource Officer Program has recently expanded to include a deputy sheriff or officer in every Seminole County school. This collaborative relationship between law enforcement officers, teachers, school personnel and parents represents one of the most proactive strategies in community-oriented policing and crime prevention. By applying this philosophy within the school, the School Resource Officer is able to assist school administration in providing the most secure and orderly environment possible. Additionally, School Security Officers are full-time Seminole County Public School employees assigned to middle schools, high schools and specialty centers to enhance security measures at these facilities.
All of our schools have an Emergency Response Plan to inform personnel of necessary action to take in the event of a critical incident. The plan is based upon the Nation Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS), which is a nationally recognized emergency management methodology used by public safety agencies, schools and businesses. The ICS provides an organized approach to managing emergencies from time of discovery all the way through to recovery and resuming full school operations. Schools regularly participate in emergency drills in order to be prepared in a crisis situation.
SCHOOL SAFETY & SECURITY (excerpt)
All the same, the page contains information about its now 24-year partnership with SpeakOut Hotline, which the district encourages students, parents or community members to contact with anonymous tips to report concerns.
Sumter County
According to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office’s School Safety Division web page, the agency boasts that it’s gone above and beyond requirements mandated by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act — which state each school in Florida must have a protection deputy assigned to it — by having assigned two additional deputies to the school safety unit, as well as a K9 trained to detect explosives.
These deputies act as an added resource for enhanced school protection throughout the county, thus ensuring that there is a high level of security maintained in all Sumter County schools. By adding these resources, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office can provide our children with a safe and secure learning environment.
Sumter County Sheriff’s Office | School Safety Division (excerpt)
Volusia County
New safety measures at public schools in Volusia County include new pedestrian signs, speedbumps and more traffic control officers at elementary campuses. Also starting this year, moving metal detectors will be brought to middle and high schools.
With 50 weapons confiscated on Volusia campuses throughout the last school year, Captain Todd Smith, head of the district’s safety team, said random searches, locked doors and school resource deputies will work hand-in-hand to deter people from bringing any weapons or violence to campuses.
“We have the OpenGate metal detectors, they’re basically like two poles,” Smith said. “The students just come out of the classroom, walk through them, and if they have anything metal that alerts, they take it out, set it to the side and walk back through.”
A computer will choose a school and classroom randomly to be searched.
Volusia County Schools on Wednesday issued a news release updating district safety and security measures, reminding readers that it plans to implement the random security screenings soon at secondary schools. Single points of entry, visitor management systems, SROs and trained guardians, regular drills, surveillance systems Centegix badges and more were on the list of what the district calls its multi-layered security approach.
On Monday an 11-year-old student was accused of making school threats and was arrested. The Volusia County sheriff said the student posted a video with a hit list and showed a collection of air soft guns, swords and knives.
Last week, two middle school students, ages 13 and 14, were arrested Friday in Volusia County. Both attend Heritage Middle School in Deltona and are accused of posting threats to TikTok and Instagram that a shooting would be committed at the school. Those arrests come after Heritage Middle was put on lockdown Thursday after a report of a student possibly seeing someone with a weapon near the school’s campus.
The school district issued the following joint statement with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office on Friday:
Safety is the number one priority of Volusia County Schools and the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. The safety of your student, all students, and all school staff is a joint responsibility. Schools in Volusia County and around the state have experienced an increase in threats over the past week. VCS, VSO, and all of our local law enforcement partners thoroughly investigate every possible threat. Any students or individuals found responsible for making threats or spreading false information will face serious consequences. This includes disciplinary actions at the school level, such as suspension or expulsion, as well potential legal action, including arrest. We need the continued support of our parents and community members to reinforce the seriousness of these offenses with your children. Thank you for your partnership.
School safety & security message | Volusia County Schools and Volusia County Sheriff's Office on Facebook | Friday, Sept. 13, 2024
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