Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School returned to campus from spring break to find that school officials were busy during the week layover. Students arrived on campus to find stronger security protocols in place following the shooting that occurred at the Parkland, Fla. high school in February.
As reported by a Miami NBC affiliate, among the new security measures are student ID badges that must be visibly worn at all times, as well as mandatory use of clear backpacks. Students were provided with both ID badges and backpacks free of charge, with no other backpacks allowed on campus. The Broward school district is also providing campus security personnel beyond the Florida Highway Patrol officers that Florida Governor, Rick Scott, provided in March.
The school district is also considering permanent metal detectors and the use metal-detecting wands as further security measures at Stoneman Douglas. Other potential security measures include a planned consolidation of campus entry points for students and staff. In the wake of the incident, the high school now maintains a single point of entry for any and all visitors to campus.
At a district level, school officials are working with local law enforcement to evaluate protocols and the frequency of code-red training and drills. The school district is also working to upgrade to real-time surveillance camera systems at all schools. Single-point entry for campus visitors will also be implemented districtwide, with plans expedite the delivery of said protocols at all schools by the first quarter of 2019.
The new security protocol additions are part of the school district’s response to the February 14th mass shooting on the campus that killed 17 people. The gunman, a former student, was able to enter the campus and leave undetected after the incident.
