Florida Department of Education Hosts Inaugural National Summit on School Safety
March 3, 2025
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Florida Department of Education Hosts Inaugural National Summit on School Safety
Tallahassee, Fla., March 3, 2025– Nearly 20 states from across the nation attended Florida’s first-ever National Summit on School Safety hosted by the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Education Foundation. The Summit brought together national education leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and school safety specialists to learn about Florida’s nation-leading approach to School Safety.
“Florida has established a blueprint for the nation on policies that protect our schools, students and educators when they are on school campuses,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “Through the National Summit on School Safety, we brought together school safety leaders and experts for an important opportunity to share best practices with school safety specialists throughout the nation.”
“Florida has been at the forefront of improving school safety, and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice is proud to come together with our education and law enforcement partners for the first-ever National Summit on School Safety,” said Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Eric Hall. “We will continue to work together on this important issue to ensure that every child can achieve academic success in a safe and secure learning environment.”
"Ensuring the safety of our students is a top priority, and the School Safety Summit provides a critical opportunity for collaboration among emergency management, law enforcement, and education leaders,” said Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie. “Proactive preparedness is key to ensuring a swift and effective response when disasters strike. By working together, sharing best practices, and strengthening our plans, we can create safer learning environments and better protect Florida’s students and educators in any emergency.”
“School safety is the top priority of every state and I was proud to speak to school safety professionals from across the nation about the work we have done in Utah to protect our students,” said Utah Department of Public Safety Director of State Security Matt Pennington. “Florida has been an incredible partner in helping Utah to improve our school safety protocols and school safety legislation. I applaud them for hosting this summit and bringing together law enforcement, education professionals and leading technology partners to continue to advance school safety.”
The Summit kicked off with a welcome from Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr., followed by a general session introduced by Ryan Petty, Vice Chair of Florida’s State Board of Education and Marjory Stoneman Douglas parent. The Summit continued with break-out learning sessions on topics such as Mental Health and Resiliency, Securing After School Events, Florida’s Threat Management Model, Partnerships and Organizations Working Together for a Common Goal, and School Safety and Compliance: How to Implement Change. The Summit ended with a panel discussion by Marjory Stoneman Douglas families on the impact of the tragedy where 17 lives were lost.
The National Summit on School Safety was made possible by generous contributions from corporate sponsors:
Presenting Sponsors: Critical Response Group (CRG), Raptor Technologies and Armoured One;
Platinum Sponsors: Eagle Globe Protective Services, CK2 Technologies, Centegix and Dynamic Integrated Security;
Gold Sponsors: Nightlock and Secure Passage.
To learn more about safety in Florida schools, visit Safe Schools.
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