The School District of Lee County shares how it assesses threats to its schools

The School District of Lee County is working to keep kids safe and ease parents’ concerns. They held a workshop on Thursday night so parents can learn more about violence prevention in schools.

The school district says its whole strategy surrounds assessing threats.

In basic terms, identify what are the tell-tale signs that someone could possibly harm others and then identify that threat before anything happens.

It goes beyond just one person too.

In the nearly two-hour virtual meeting, teamwork between school counselors and law enforcement was discussed. Each of those professions brings a different skill set to the table.

The goal is to come together and identify children that might have underlying issues of anger, hopelessness, or despair.

In the meeting, the district did say the mental health services in the community aren’t enough, but they’re hoping meetings like Thursday’s will help others identify a child in need.

Ken savage, the superintendent for the School District of Lee County said, “our top priority is safety in our schools. And parents are an important and integral part of our team. We need to make sure parents know what they can do, and students as well. In this particular case today, students played a vital role in this. They were the first line of defense. It’s everyone’s job to have safety be our top priority. And that means we have to educate everyone how they can be a part of that process.”

If you are a parent and you ever feel like a threat is being ignored, the district recommends reporting it on the Fortify Florida app. That app sends the report to law enforcement and schools.

You can always call the district or law enforcement directly.