Board approves security changes

Broward officials adopt policies that address hiding places, calling for Code Red lockdowns

A year after the Parkland shooting, the Broward County School Board made good on its promise to enact policies to help prevent the same types of failures that contributed to the deaths of 17 people.

The School Board adopted policies Wednesday that identify when school staff must call for a Code Red lockdown, as well requiring classrooms to be equipped with places for students to hide from an active shooter.

But that doesn’t mean the work is over. The board still faces challenges in making sure everyone understands and follows the new policies.

It was the first meeting since Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans Feb. 13 to seek a grand jury to review how well Broward schools have handled security matters. The grand jury was never mentioned in the meeting, but the bickering that has defined recent School Board

meetings was noticeably absent. Board members also seemed well aware of public criticism that they’ve been slow to act.

“I’m not interested in delaying this. I'm not interested in being blasted for a lack of urgency,” board member Rosalind Osgood said.

Board member Lori Alhadeff said there was no specific date for implementation of the measures, but added: “I think it could be implemented quickly. However, that is up to [Schools Superintendent Robert] Runcie to execute.”

Staff will be trained in Code Red procedures, but Runcie said he did not have an exact date for when that will be completed, although he said it would be before the end of the school year. “This will be an urgent priority,” he said.

For much of the past year, family members of people murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas on Feb. 14, 2018, as well as a commission investigating the tragedy, criticized the school district for taking a long time to enact key safety improvements.

In November, members of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission asked Superintendent Robert Runcie why the district wasn’t already requiring classrooms to have “hard corners,” or spaces where students could seek shelter from an active shooter. A security expert had recommended these at Stoneman Douglas a few weeks before the shooting, but they were in effect in only a few classrooms on Feb. 14, 2018. Some hard corners had clutter in them at the time of the shooting.

In November, Runcie angered commission members by first citing vague plans to “develop protocols and processes to implement guidelines for safer zones." He agreed to move more quickly after the commission pressed him.

Critics have questioned why the district can’t do something as simple as putting a piece of tape on the floor to identify these spaces. But after a security consultant said the tape may traumatize students who could view it as a “kill line,” district officials decided instead to paint house-shaped emblems on walls.

There have been other obstacles as well. Principals have been reluctant to take on the responsibility of identifying these spaces, arguing they’re not security experts.

Local police chiefs voiced concerns at a meeting Wednesday that they weren’t adequately consulted, Broward Schools Chief of Staff Jeff Moquin said. He also said some law enforcement agencies have refused to help the district identify safer spaces, citing concerns about liability or their police officers not being qualified.

“It may seem simple and trivial to many, but we have to make sure there's a real understanding from the public about what these spaces are and what we're trying to accomplish," Runcie said Wednesday.

Moquin suggested delaying the vote a week to address concerns of law enforcement.

But board member Patti Good said she doubted local police would ever all agree, and she didn’t see any value in delaying.

"If we defer this indefinitely the takeaway will be we do not value this recommendation," she said.

The policy assigns the district’s new chief of safety, security and emergency preparedness to identify procedures for identifying the places for hard corners; principals would work with their school resource officers or other safety experts to determine where the corners would be in each classroom. The policy also requires classroom doors to be locked at all times.

The second policy gives anyone at a school the authority — and the responsibility — to call for a Code Red if they sense danger. This procedure signals an immediate danger and requires students to hide behind locked doors

The Stoneman Douglas gunman was halfway through his six-minute rampage before anyone issued a “Code Red.” As a result, some students were caught in hallways and killed.

Although the commission found that no one was specifically told not to issue the alert, there was confusion about whose job that was.

Under the new policy any staff member must call a Code Red “should they see, hear, or smell anything that may immediately impact the safety and security of any staff, students, or visitors on campus.”

They would not be disciplined if the potential threat turns out to be a false alarm.