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School districts vote on fencing in campuses, adding cameras, allowing police rifles

Many schools already fenced in for single point of entry

As parents pick up their students at Carillon Elementary School in Oviedo this week, they'll notice new fence posts dotting the perimeter of the campus.

Later this week, workers will unroll the chain link fencing and attach it to the posts to create a continuous barrier around the entire school campus.

Visitors will only be able to enter and exit the school through the main entrance at the front office.

Nicole Flores, mother of a 7-year-old at Carillon, said the fence was an investment in protection and peace of mind.

"I think it's great," Flores said. "It makes me feel like I'm safer here. Because with it not closed, anyone can just walk on. With the fence it adds a little more security."

Seminole County School District spokesman Michael Lawrence said Carillon Elementary School is one of the final few to be fenced in.

"The fencing projects are part of our five-year hardening plan and we're in year two of that plan," Lawrence said. "We typically add to campuses that still require more each year as able. However, with added funds from the state post-Parkland, we're able to expedite some of those projects now."

Lawrence said fencing in the campuses of Carillon and Lawton Chiles Middle School will cost roughly $120,000.

"The fence additions to some of our campuses are part of the added campus hardening for school safety and security purposes," Lawrence said.

The Brevard School Board voted Tuesday evening to ask the state for $2.4 million to buy security equipment for schools, including cameras.

School board members also discussed allowing school resource officers (SROs) to store secured long guns -- rifles -- on campus and to clearly prohibit students from storing guns in vehicles.

Last year, Brevard began the process of creating a single point of entry on all campuses by closing off entrances, locking gates and in some cases, adding fencing around entire campuses.

All Brevard County schools have now been modified to establish a single point of entry, according to Brevard County Schools Assistant Superintendent Matt Reed.

On Tuesday, Marion County School Board members discussed adding armed school guardians, according to spokesman Kevin Christian.

"Our desire to participate in the school guardian program is nothing new," Christian said. "We have already provided up to 30 names of people interested in the program through the Marion County Sheriff’s Office ... Our school board wanted this as an option in the future to possibly cut expenses of having SROs at every school (a major additional cost to the district this year)."

Board members also voted on spending $813,000 to fence in all Marion County school campuses.

"Our goal is to start fencing high schools this year.  We will start with Forest High School, the site of the April 20 shooting," Christian said. "I would say this is in response to new state laws requiring schools to be more secure following the Parkland tragedy."

Marion County School Board members on Tuesday unanimously approved the plan to purchase school safety items.


About the Author
Erik von Ancken headshot

Erik von Ancken anchors and reports for News 6 and is a two-time Emmy award-winning journalist in the prestigious and coveted "On-Camera Talent" categories for both anchoring and reporting.

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