Fort Myers High School parents want answers after intruder breaks in

Fort Myers High School was locked down Thursday morning. An unknown man entered the campus from an unlocked door Wednesday night. The school has tested the door, but parents still express concern for their children’s safety. 

A safety and security specialist has some advice for the district and parents. Ken Trump, president of national school safety and security services, states that, “School safety is the number one concern for parents today.” 

Trump spent more than 30 years coaching schools and school districts on safety and security. He worries Lee County is making a mistake: not providing answers to parents’ questions. The principal at Fort Myers High sent two emails to parents, but the emails did not explain how a door was left unlocked, and no one knew about it. The last email to parents went out Thursday evening.

“Parents, like kids and others in society, want instant information in minutes as something unfolds. Oftentimes, it’s taking administrators time to investigate to find out what actually occurred and what it is they need to communicate. And we have to work on closing that gap.” Trump said.

We asked school board member Melisa Giovannelli why the school is choosing to remain silent. She said the school wanted to confirm that they had every I dotted, and T crossed.

Giovannelli stated that Dr. Christopher Bernier, the superintendent of schools, has spoken to the school board. The nature of those talks remains between them because he will not talk with us about what happened at Fort Myers High.