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Most Orange County Public Schools will have gun safe starting this school year

ORLANDO, Fla. — More than half of all Orange County Public Schools will have a gun safe installed by the time students start classes in a couple of weeks, officials said.

The equipment will allow school resource officers to store their weapons and gear.

When classes begin, East River High School will be among the 120 Orange County schools with a gun safe.

“We decided to do this as a result of the Parkland shooting,” said Lt. Melvin Roomes with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Documents obtained by Channel 9’s Michael Lopardi shows the Sheriff’s Office purchased 129 gun safes back in May, costing $199,000.

Delivery started over the summer and the safes should all be installed by Aug. 9.

Roomes said school resource officers can use the space to store a rifle or protective gear during the school day, and respond quickly to an emergency.

“It provides that extra level of rapid accessibility to a tool that's a little bit more high power, to give us that margin of safety for protection of our kids in schools,” he said.

The Sheriff’s Office tested two different safes at East River last March and decided to go with the Hayman model.

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Michael Lopardi

Michael Lopardi

Michael Lopardi joined Eyewitness News as a general assignment reporter in April 2015.