Scott in Boca to tout $2M for Jewish school security
BOCA RATON — Gov. Rick Scott flaunted $2 million in state funding he helped earmark for Jewish school security to a welcoming crowd in Boca Raton on Wednesday, following his official visit to Israel for the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
Scott and his wife, Ann, were greeted at Torah Academy of Boca Raton by young students who held colorful welcome signs and thanked him for being a friend to Israel. Scott, a Republican who seeks to replace U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, highlighted the $2 million in his Securing Florida’s Future budget set aside to harden security at at-risk nonpublic Jewish schools. The investment is a threefold increase.
“(All schools) should be a safe place for a child to get an education,” Scott said.
The money will be used to upgrade security features, including cameras, fences and other measures.
Scott first announced his intention to secure at least $1 million for hardening Jewish nonpublic schools in October, in the wake of a wave of reported anti-Semitic threats and attacks on Jewish institutions. He made the announcement at another Boca Raton area school in October. Scott was welcomed to Katz Hillel Day School, west of Boca, by a line of 500 students holding hand-written greeting signs.
The decision to set aside funding solely for Jewish schools drew criticism from organizations, including the ACLU of Florida, whose director, Howard Simon, told The Palm Beach Post that security money should be available to other groups that have faced hate crimes.
“It’s tied to the fact that the Jewish day schools had the death threats, so it’s tied to whether something like that happens,” Scott said in response to questions about whether religious schools would have access to the funding.
Scott, who has visited Israel three times as governor, was the only U.S. governor to attend the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.