TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Department of Education hosted its second annual National Summit on School Safety this week, bringing together school district representatives, law enforcement officials and education leaders from across Florida and 19 other states.
State officials said the three-day summit focused on school safety policy, emergency preparedness and sharing strategies used in Florida schools.
During the event, John Newman, chief of security and emergency management for Hillsborough County Public Schools, was named Florida’s 2026 School Safety Specialist of the Year.
Newman has worked with Hillsborough County schools since 2014 and previously spent 29 years with the Tampa Police Department. In 2023, he was appointed to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Families of victims from the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting also attended the summit, according to state officials.
Anastasios Kamoutsas, Florida’s education commissioner, opened the summit with remarks highlighting school safety efforts across the state.
Officials said sessions included presentations from the United States Secret Service on threat prevention, along with discussions about emergency management coordination and school safety challenges nationwide.
The summit also included a student-led panel focused on campus safety concerns and preparedness.
Florida has expanded school safety requirements in recent years following the 2018 Parkland shooting, including mandatory school security measures, threat assessment teams and increased emergency training.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2026 Cox Media Group
