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Lake County leaders discuss school safety options

By Sarahbeth Ackerman and Kelly Healey
By Sarahbeth Ackerman and Kelly Healey
Lake County school leaders are holding a meeting Monday about how to keep students safe on campus.

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — School officials said they are working hard to try to comply with new security laws, enacted by the state.

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Concerned neighbors and parents got a chance to stand before the board to discuss what changes they would like to see.
A mother and former teacher who lost her 14-year-old niece at the Parkland shooting in February said she wants to ask the government to get highly-trained law enforcement inside the schools.

Watch the workshop below:

Leaders also discussed a school survey that was conducted last week using telephone interviews. Three-hundred fifty-three people answered the questions.
The survey asked if neighbors believe the Lake County School District is doing a good job protecting the school in the case of an emergency.
Seventy-three percent said they would be willing to pay more in taxes for additional sheriff’s deputies in schools.
Almost a half-dozen proposed solutions were discussed during Monday's workshop, including the state's guardian program, which would arm school personnel.
Parent Lindsay Fontana said she opposes the program.
"I understand the fear and the desire to find a quick, simple, one-size-fits-all solution to the reoccurring nightmare that more and more school communities are facing," she said. "Let's push back and encourage the state to properly fund the provisions that would allow schools to hire additional highly trained law enforcement (officers) to have more of a school presence on school campuses."
School leaders must decide by July 1.

Watch below: Lake County School Board Workshop May 21, 2018

Cox Media Group

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