Education Commissioner: ‘Florida is Laser-Focused on School Safety’
July 22, 2022 Updated 1:12 P.M. ET
TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – The Florida Education Commissioner reiterated the state’s “laser-focused” priority on school safety as the Florida Association of School Resource Officers annual conference comes to an end.
The annual conference provides professional development and training for law enforcement officers. A school resource officer is a law enforcement officer who is assigned to the schools.
“While there are so many important components of education that we often focus on – quality instruction, assessments, curricula – none of that matters if students don’t make it home at the end of the day,” said Commissioner manny Diaz, Jr.
Members at the conference reviewed the newly signed legislation that aims to improve school safety in Florida. The new law:
-Requires all safe school officers to complete crisis intervention and training to improve knowledge and skills for response and de-escalate incidents on school premises;
-Requires law enforcement officers to be present and involved in active assailant emergency drills;
-Requires school boards to adopt family reunification plans in the event of an evacuation; and
-Requires that school districts must annually certify that at least 80 percent of school personnel have received mandatory youth mental health awareness training.
“Thanks to recent initiatives by Governor DeSantis, Florida is laser-focused on school safety and will continue to do everything possible to keep our kids and educators safe in the classroom,” Diaz said.
State Board of Education Member Ryan Petty said in a press release there is a “culture change” since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Commission.
“There’s been a culture change from the ground up, and I am proud of the preparation and dedication of our law enforcement officers, school safety officers, and guardians. Despite the many improvements in school safety, we can never rest. We will explore every opportunity to better secure our schools and ensure students receive needed services to prevent violence,” Petty said.
The Governor’s Office reiterated how Gov. Ron DeSantis has prioritized school safety and mental health funding in Florida. In the recent budget, Governor DeSantis approved nearly $400 million for mental health and school safety. That money can be used for school hardening grants and youth mental health awareness and assistance training.
In 2021, the governor signed bills to increase communication and notifications prior to a student being subjected to an involuntary examination. It also requires additional mental health training for teachers and students in teacher preparation programs.
In 2020, Alyssa’s law required the Florida Department of Education to use funding and work with public schools to create a panic alert system to ensure real-time coordination between first responders.
