The Sarasota County School Board voted on Thursday to put one off-duty officer or deputy at every elementary school, for the rest of this school year. The School District’s Chief Operating Officer says there will be a total of 21 armed officers for the entire school day.
Meanwhile, Charlotte County School leaders said on Thursday they, too, will add school resources officers as well as mental health professionals at schools in the district. They also said they will not be arming teachers. In a statement released yesterday, the district said it will work wth the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and Punta Gorda Police Department to hold emergency drills, train staff and students how to respond in an emergency, and staff will undergo joint training with local law enforcement. The district says they also plan to add security cameras to hallways and limit school access to one point-of-entry during school hours.