Enhancing school safety with Fortify Florida app

When we send our children to school, safety is always top of mind. Thanks to an app, students can report suspicious activity directly to law enforcement and school officials.

From the moment a tip is submitted through the Fortify Florida app, the Lee County School District says it’s assessed.

“As soon as the student submits, within minutes, it’s being distributed to the local law enforcement and the school and the school district where that tip originated from,” said Rob Spicker with the Lee County School District. “And law enforcement will act if necessary. No matter the time of day or night. And if there is concern there, that student doesn’t come to school.”

Spicker told WINK News that the district has received 233 tips on the app between August 10 and October 23, compared to 93 in the same time frame last year.

So, why so many more?

Spicker credits the bump this year to House Bill 1473, an extension of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Act, which requires each district to instruct students on how to use the Fortify Florida app installed on their Chromebooks since 2018 within the first five days of each school year.

Lee County sent its students a video as a reminder.

Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood recently called out students in his area for an influx of fake tips.

“It’s going to get your a** sent to jail,” said Chitwood.

David Newlan, the district’s Executive Director of Safety, Security and Emergency Management, admits Lee County sees its fair share of fake tips, but that it’s better to get too many bogus tips than not enough real ones.

“Sometimes you get information that may not be anything at all,” said Newlan. “What we don’t want to do is to deter the public or students from feeling uncomfortable. We don’t want to overlook any type of threat made or anything that’s reported. Because, as we look back at past school shootings, the last thing you want to find out is there was something reported and it was not looked into.”