New security measures aim to make schools safer
Broward schools are scrambling to increase security, leading some parents to question why officials didn’t see it as urgent until a shooter killed 17 at a Parkland school.
District officials say they are reviewing options that include bullet-proof glass, office door buzzers and technology that does background checks on visitors. Some of those measures have been discussed for years and are used in other districts around the country.
Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said while security was always a priority, the shooting on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School “changed the standards that are accepted from the public.’’
For example, all students at Stoneman Douglas will be re- quired to go through metal-detecting wands and can carry only clear backpacks.
“There hadn’t been a call for metal detectors before. No one said that should be a priority,” Runcie said.
He said improved security, such as upgraded surveillance cameras and gates and fences to limit access, had been in the works before the attack. A recent district report says 61 projects have been completed, 31 are under construction and 23 are being designed. Sixteen projects are behind schedule, the report says.
Yet, that limit on access failed to deter killer Nikolas Cruz. He got on campus about 20 minutes before school ended, when the gates are opened for dismissal.
The school has the district’s most updated surveillance
cameras but law enforcement personnel were viewing them on a 20-minute delay, causing them to think Cruz was on campus after he’d left.
“I don’t know how you can be prepared for all this until you actually experience it,” School Board member Nora Rupert said Friday.
And some of the new changes are already causing controversy. Students have complained that metal detectors make them feel like they’re in a prison, and clear backpacks won’t stop bullets.
“Clear backpacks don’t do anything except make us look stupid. We want to be safe, not uncomfortable,” Stoneman Douglas student Carly Novell tweeted. “The only thing that can really have an impact on our safety is gun control.”
Parent Casey Becher had a different concern: “How will clear backpacks be strong enough? My kids’ backpacks are heavy!”
Some parents in the Parkland community say they don’t trust the district to keep their kids safe.
“Every time we talk to the School Board it’s reactive, not proactive,” said parent Golden Johansson during the city’s Education Advisory Board meeting last week.
She said that promises to address security concerns are “17 times too late,” referring to those killed in the massacre.
Runcie disagrees, saying, “You could always do more, but just because you haven’t done everything everyone wants doesn’t mean you’re being reactive.”
As part of their security push, Broward and MiamiDade schools will soon require students and staff to wear identification badges while on campus. And all classroom and exterior doors will be locked in both districts.
The Palm Beach County School Board has had several meetings on security but has not announced any changes.
A group of parents from Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, some in tears, appealed to the board last week to limit public access to the campus.
“I am hoping the school district will get this done but I am also realistic that it will take time and lots of discussions to make it happen,” parent Helen Luce said. “However, we are determined to fight for these changes to protect our kids and teachers, not only at River but for all within the district.”
Some parents are working to supplement the school district’s security efforts.
The PTO at Riverside Elementary School in Coral Springs is raising money for Code Red Comfort Packs. These classroom trauma kits contain tourniquets, stress balls, first aid, scissors, flashsaid.
lights, glow bracelets, lollipops and phone chargers. Cost is $67 for a backpack filled with the safety products.
“It’s a great idea to make sure everyone is prepared,” said Lauren Winter, parent of a kindergartner. “I’ll take as much security as possible, even if I have to help financially to do it.”
Parents at Morikami Park Elementary west of Delray Beach are raising money to buy a buzzer for the interior office, additional security cameras and security card readers. There’s also talk of hiring their own security officer, parent Betsy Silverfine “After Parkland, people were totally up in arms,” she said. “The school is making an effort. They’re way more aware now.”
Gov. Rick Scott has signed a bill allotting $450 million for school safety projects, including $100 million to hire more school police officers. Scott cited metal detectors, bullet-proof glass, steel doors and upgraded locks as products schools could buy.
Since then, schools have been deluged with calls from companies selling security products.
“There are people who are coming out of the woodwork trying to sell us things that don’t actually work,” said Leslie Brown, a Broward school district administrator. “They are predators trying to take advantage of a tragic environment. It gets our blood curdling. They’re trying to get us to take action and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for things that may or may not work.”
“I don’t know how you can be prepared for all this until you actually experience it.” Nora Rupert, School Board member