Collier schools to increase security measures in wake of Parkland attack

In response to the February mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Collier County schools are making changes to their security procedures.

During a Facebook Live event Wednesday, Collier County Public Schools Superintendent Kamela Patton and Collier Sheriff Kevin Rambosk announced that by the start of the 2018-19 school year, all Collier public school front doors will be locked during the day.

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2018 video: CCPS Superintendent Kamela Patton on school safety concerns

Schools will be outfitted with access control systems that will allow the doors to be locked digitally.

Visitors will be asked to present their photo identification to the access control camera and to explain the reason for their visit. Once approved, visitors again will be asked for their identification at the front desk prior to receiving a visitor’s pass.

During a media conference call after the Facebook Live event, Patton said the devices will not be installed at charter schools and the cost to the district is expected to be $500,000.

“We didn’t get any additional (state) funds for hardening schools or for safety equipment,” she said. “We think this new layer of security across the district is a really good value for what we’re doing.”

Patton was asked whether the district would opt into the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program, which allows some school employees to be armed.

As part of House Bill 7026, signed into law last month by Gov. Rick Scott, school districts will be given the option to participate in the program. The program is named after the assistant football coach who died in the Feb. 14 shooting attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The attack killed 17 students and staff.

Patton said the district would continue to rely on trained law enforcement officers to ensure the safety of students and staff.

“Some of what we’ve discussed, including tactics, safety equipment and strategies, is information that our community knows is sensitive and cannot be discussed in public,” Rambosk said during the Facebook Live event.

“What I can tell you is proper security is not built around one technique," he said. "It’s built around providing layers of protection.”

On the conference call, Patton said Rambosk had ensured all school sites will have a dedicated full-time law enforcement officer. In the past, schools have shared officers.

The additional officers will be funded in part by the state and the rest would be covered by the Sheriff’s Office, Patton said.

The Sheriff’s Office already funds $8 million for police presence at schools, she said.

At Tuesday night’s School Board meeting, Timothy Kutz, administrative director of district operations, announced several other security initiatives.

Collier schools will join the countywide P25 radio system, which will enable school staff to communicate on the same channel as first responders.

Additional counseling and social work staff will be placed at alternative schools, and some school staff will undergo crisis training.

“Our ongoing strategy is to create layers of security to slow down somebody who would want to harm our schools,” Kutz said at the meeting.

School Board member Erika Donalds said she has spoken with board members from other Florida school districts in recent weeks and Collier appears to be ahead of others on school security. Other districts do not yet have a single point of entry or visitor screening system, she said.

“We’re very fortunate,” Donalds said. “Our partnership with the Sheriff’s Office and police department is incredible. They prioritize the safety and security of our schools and that is invaluable.”

School Board member Erick Carter also expressed gratitude for the district's partnerships with the Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Marco Island and Naples police departments. 

Those relationships have played an instrumental role in keeping the district ahead of the curve when it comes to school safety, he said. 

“All these people are coming together and working very well together and that is going to be part of our success as it always has been in Collier County,” Carter said.

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Barron Collier High School senior Dylan Mansourian said he is impressed by the new security initiatives and thinks the district is doing the best it can.

However, Mansourian still has many concerns and suggested youth relations deputies at schools receive more training.

Since the shooting, Mansourian said he has felt mostly safe at school, except for last month when a student pulled a fire alarm. School administrators ran down the hallways, telling students to remain in their classrooms, he said.

“It wasn’t a scheduled fire alarm,” he said. “No one knew what was happening.”

Mansourian said the student who pulled the alarm was a special-needs student.

Although it’s not in the school district’s purview, Mansourian said the best ways to secure schools would be to implement stricter background checks for gun purchases and rigorous firearm training requirements for new gun owners.

New drivers are required to drive with an experienced driver for a year before getting their licenses, Mansourian noted.

The new school security measures are “good initiatives, but it sort of feels like a Band-Aid solution instead of targeting the problem,” he said.