Florida hosts national summit focusing on school safety strategies

The Florida Department of Education, in collaboration with the Florida Education Foundation, recently hosted its inaugural National Summit on School Safety. The event, held in Tallahassee, brought together representatives from nearly 20 states to discuss and learn about Florida's approach to school safety.

"Florida has established a blueprint for the nation on policies that protect our schools, students and educators when they are on school campuses," said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. "Through the National Summit on School Safety, we brought together school safety leaders and experts for an important opportunity to share best practices with school safety specialists throughout the nation."

Eric Hall, Secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, expressed pride in partnering with education and law enforcement agencies for this summit. "We will continue to work together on this important issue to ensure that every child can achieve academic success in a safe and secure learning environment," he said.

Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, emphasized the importance of collaboration among emergency management, law enforcement, and education leaders. "Proactive preparedness is key to ensuring a swift and effective response when disasters strike," he noted.

Matt Pennington from Utah's Department of Public Safety praised Florida's efforts in improving school safety protocols. "Florida has been an incredible partner in helping Utah to improve our school safety protocols and school safety legislation," he said.

The summit featured sessions on various topics including mental health, securing after-school events, threat management models, partnerships for common goals, and implementing change in school safety compliance. A panel discussion by families affected by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas tragedy concluded the event.

The summit was supported by several corporate sponsors including Critical Response Group (CRG), Raptor Technologies, Armoured One as presenting sponsors; Eagle Globe Protective Services, CK2 Technologies, Centegix as platinum sponsors; and Nightlock and Secure Passage as gold sponsors.

For more information about school safety initiatives in Florida schools, visit their Safe Schools page.

Information from this article can be found here.