Schools safety job turns urgent

The superintendent says hiring a sworn law enforcement officer as director is one of many steps to beef up safety in Pasco schools.

By TAMARA LUSH

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 14, 2000

Pasco County Superintendent John Long says he will hire a school safety director much sooner than expected and hopes to have that person on board by mid October.

The director will be a sworn law enforcement officer who will enhance crisis plans, make sure each school's staff is aware of emergency procedures and conduct background checks on prospective employees.

Long told the Pasco Times on Friday that he and his administrators still must determine the position's salary and then the School Board will have to approve the position.

The focus on safety has sharpened since the fatal shooting of a student in the Ridgewood High School parking lot last January and since a string of school shootings nationwide. Hiring a director is one of many steps the district is taking to beef up safety in the schools:

Many principals have rewritten their school crisis plans, which spell out how staff members should handle a tragedy such as a shooting on campus or a tornado.

For the first time, lockdown drills were held. The first two happened last week at Gulfside Elementary School in Holiday and Weightman Middle School in Wesley Chapel.

During the drills, Pasco sheriff's deputies pretended to be "the bad guys" and school staff had to lock all classrooms and offices. Similar drills are planned for other schools in the coming months.

All summer, Pasco County sheriff's Sgt. Brian Prescott has met with administrators, principals and staff to discuss safety and crisis plans.

Allison Hoskins, the assistant principal of Gulfside Elementary School, said the school's rewritten safety plan is posted in every classroom.

"We're much better prepared," Hoskins said. "The crisis plan before, maybe I was missing a few things. Now it's very thorough . . . teachers have mentioned that they really feel safe and prepared."

In July, a school safety consultant told the Times that several of Pasco's school crisis plans needed improvement. The consultant cited a lack of consistency in the plans, which are required in all schools under state law.

After the consultant made those comments to the newspaper, Long said he realized that the district's crisis plans, especially those of the elementary schools, could be better.

Even though he is confident about the quality of the rewritten plans, Long said a school safety director will ensure that crisis plans are always up to date.

Sgt. Prescott agreed: "Anything we can do to make schools a safer place to learn is a good idea. We can never have schools that are too safe. If creating that position improves school safety, I'm all for it."

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