SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The school year starts Thursday in Seminole County, and the school district wants to reassure parents that safety is their top priority.
Superintendent Serita Beamon and Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma spoke Monday, ahead of the first day of school, which is Thursday, Aug. 10
Beamon said the district has a “layered holistic approach to school safety” which includes working closely with law enforcement partners and offering mental health resources.
Lemma believes there are close to 95 school resource deputies and officers throughout the school district assigned to the campuses.
But Beamon also says parents and guardians to stress the importance of acceptable behavior in the classroom, which also includes new state rules about cell phones in class, which means they are silenced and put away.
“We are all accountable for making sure that this happens,” Beamon said.
Beamon said that Seminole County is also the first county to have utilized Mutualink, an app that allows for communication via video, radio and GPS to be shared with any agency in the county. This system is also notably used in malls, airports, hospitals and theme parks, according to a press release.
Beamon said she is concerned about the uptick in unacceptable behaviors last year. Lemma said that behavior will not be tolerated.
“You know each year we stand before our citizens or students or family members and say that should your child or student behave in this way, there’s going to be consequences,” Lemma said. “And the last thing we need is to start off the school year with an arrest for committing a violation of Florida law, which is exactly what will happen.”
A new addition to the Seminole County school district is the use of K-9 units. These dogs are trained to sniff firearms and chemical compounds that are connected to firearms.
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