School Safety

The school district is the first in the state to launch the integrated technology that uses existing surveillance cameras and links them to police and EMS.

It was part of a code red drill in which staff members are testing a wearable device designed to speed up emergency responses. The system is already in several Florida districts, including Hillsborough and Pinellas.

In an administrative challenge, Nightlock claims the state Department of Education developed rules to undermine a new law authorizing schools to install secondary locks for use in emergencies.

Last school year, more than 54,000 alerts were sent from Florida campuses. Nearly half — 0r 44% — were related to student behavior. Only 1% of alerts were related to suspicious activity and another 1% for a campus threat.

A few simple reminders can keep kids safe: Put your phone away when walking, take the earbuds out, and look before you bike or walk across a road or intersection.

The vote will supplement in-person and virtual measures to combat threats to Florida's K-12 schools.

The board agreed to keep the policy status quo after reviewing a survey of parents and staff that drew more than 4,000 responses. A majority of respondents said they were happy with the current rules.

A wave of threats have rocked schools across the country, since a Georgia high school shooting earlier this month left four dead.

Several counties are emphasizing how seriously threats are being taken and highlighting their added security measures.

Parents at Robles Elementary School have long been concerned about unsafe conditions. Here are the measures being taken to make sure kids are safe there, and across the county.

Scores of students were kept waiting in lines outside long after the first bell rang. Adding the security checkpoints to all the high schools in the district was meant to help improve school security.

The county is installing delineators and other measures to prevent drivers from parking on sidewalks and medians, but larger changes to road infrastructure can take years to implement.