(Chart courtesy VCSB)
The School Board also made some other recommendations to increase school safety. These recommendations can be found below:(Chart courtesy VCSB)
Actions have been taken to improve fencing, entry control systems, and camera systems. Plans for these projects can be found below:(Chart courtesy VCSB)
Several School Board members and officials also expressed concerns about costs and responsibilities. "Part of it is viewed as just a school issue or a school board's [issue] as a whole," said Ida D. Wright, the VCSB's District 2 member. "It is not a school's issue, it is a society issue. And if we don't address it as a society issue, we'll never have funding. I don't care what we do, we don't have the money for 44 more people." "This is to mitigate the loss of life and to deter students from doing this," said Greg Akin, Chief Operating Officer for Volusia County Schools, said in response to Wright. "It takes every person. Every student, faculty member, parent, community, grandparent, aunt, uncle - whoever - to identify the students that have some concerns and get them the help they need and be able to resolve these issues. And, you're right. At some point in time, we can put all the bells and whistles in and it's not going to prevent it. We've got to go back to prevention, which is human behavior changes." "Parents have to get involved," Akin continued. "They have to start searching the child's backpack, the bedroom. Know their children. Look at their social media on the phones. That's where it kind of starts." "Is it possible that we could send a letter out to all the municipalities requesting their participation in some way?" said VCSB Chair Linda Cuthbert. "Whether its a sub, recommendations - a line item in their budgets for the coming year. Even if it's $10,000. Every little penny helps. Everything helps and that would be their contribution to [school saftey]. And its true - it is a society issue, it is a community issue." The VCSB plans to have identified the number of marshals needed and to have identified a district School Safety Specialist by July 1. By August 1, the VCSB wants to complete a security risk assessment and by September 1, the VCSB wants to identify a threat assessment team at each school. At the start of the school year, the VCSB wants at least one school safety officer hired at each school, putting it in compliance with a state law passed earlier this year. Throughout the entire year, staff and students will receive active shooter training and will participate in active shooter and hostage situation drills. The VCSB agreed to revisit the proposal for approval at its nect meeting on June 12.