Education

New lockdown, security procedures in place at Seminole County schools

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County schools are putting new lockdown and security procedures in place during school hours.

Some of the changes include informing parents immediately if a lockdown is a drill or the real thing.

Amy Newkirk has two children in the Seminole County School District.

“I want my kids to be safe and at school they should be,” said Newkirk.

Earlier this week, Channel 9 reported on how the district hired extra deputies and officers for each of its schools.

The officers will also be required to respond and report lockdowns the same way, regardless of what law enforcement department they are from.

The uniform response is meant to bridge communication gaps.

“We've even taken it up a step further. We now have a sworn officer, sheriff's captain, who is now in the role of school security, and that allows us to have seamless transitioning and communication between the sheriff's department and all our law enforcement agencies,” said Michael Lawrence with the Seminole County School District.

The communication will also be improved with parents.

The district is requiring schools to schedule automated phone messages to parents the day of a lockdown drill so that parents are immediately notified after a drill happens.

“We'll have our school pre-craft a message that will go out as that drill is in the process of starting so that if they get messages from their kids, they'll this is just a drill not to panic,” said Lawrence.

School resource officers will also be required to regularly check that all classroom doors can only be opened from the inside.

In a lockdown, classrooms are often the first place students are told to go during an emergency.

“As you see, we have these clear panels. We can see who those individuals are and if they don't belong in a class they don't get in,” Lawrence said.

One other change includes check-in at the front offices.

The district is looking at a system where visitors can scan their driver’s license, and immediate background checks are done.