CHAPTER 3.00 - SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

3.06 Safe and Secure Schools

I. The Dixie County District School Board has as its first obligation to provide a safe,  secure and orderly learning environment in all schools and at all sponsored activities  for students, school personnel, and other persons. 

II. Orderly Environment 

An orderly environment can only be achieved by developing procedures to control  students, personnel, and other persons on school property and attending School  Board or school sponsored events or activities. All procedures shall reflect the  following policy provisions. 

A. No person other than a student and employee of a school site shall be on a  school campus during school hours unless they are in compliance with  Policy 9.07 (Visitors). 

B. A student who is suspended or expelled is not in good standing and is not  permitted on the school campus, school grounds, or at a school-sponsored activity. 

C. Any person on a school campus or school grounds not in accordance with  this policy is hereby declared to be a trespasser and shall be asked to leave  immediately by any staff member. Each principal shall keep a log of such  incidents, which shall provide the name of the person asked to leave and  other pertinent information. If said person shall again be seen upon the  school campus or school grounds, any staff member shall immediately notify  the principal or appropriate local law enforcement officials without further  warning. 

D. Individuals who enter School Board property, activity, or School Board  meeting without a legitimate reason and create a disturbance or refuse to  leave the property or activity when asked by the board chairperson,  Superintendent/designee, principal or person in charge are subject to  criminal penalty as provided in Florida Statutes. The person in charge shall  contact appropriate law enforcement officials in cases of disruptive activity or  refusal to leave the school property or activity and take appropriate action to have the offender punished as prescribed by law. The Superintendent shall  be notified of any such action at schools or school activities. 

E. No person except law enforcement, security officers, and other legally  identified individuals may have in his/her possession any weapon, illegal  substance, or dangerous substance while on school property or at school  events. However, the Superintendent may allow designated employees,  which hold a valid concealed weapons permit to keep firearm(s) locked in  their vehicle on school property. 

III. The following emergency response agency(ies) will notify the District in the event  of an emergency 

Emergency Response Agency Type of Emergency 

Dixie County Sheriff’s Department Law Enforcement 

Dixie County EMS Fire/Emergency 

Cross City Police Department Law Enforcement 

IV. Safety, Security and – Emergency Plans 

A. The Superintendent shall develop a School Safety and Security Plan with  input from representatives of the local law enforcement agencies, the local  Fire Marshall(s), representative(s) from emergency medical services;  building administrators, representative(s) from the local emergency  management agency, School Resource Officer(s) and/or representative(s) of  the Dixie County Health Department. 

B. As required by state law, the Superintendent shall require the use of the Safe  School Assessment Survey based on the School Safety and Security Best  Practices Indicators created by FLDOE Safe School Assessment Tool  (FSSAT) to conduct a self-assessment of the District’s current safety and  security practices. 

C. Upon completion of these self-assessments, the Superintendent shall  convene a safety and security review meeting for the purpose of (a)  reviewing the current School Safety and Security Plan and the results of the  self-assessment; (b) identifying necessary modifications to the plan; (c)  identifying additional necessary training for staff and students; and (d)  discussing any other related matters deemed necessary by the meeting participants.

D. The Superintendent shall present the findings of the safety and security  review meeting to the Board for review and approval appropriate school  safety, emergency management and preparedness plans. The  Superintendent shall make any necessary recommendations to the Board  that identify strategies and activities that the Board should incorporate into  the School Safety and Security Plan and/or implement in order to improve  school safety and security. The School Safety and Security Plan is,  however, confidential and is not subject to review or release as a public  record. 

E. The Superintendent shall report the self-assessment results and any action  taken by the Board to review the School Safety and Security Plan to the  Commissioner of Education within thirty (30) days after the Board meeting. 

F. Emergency management and preparedness plans shall include notification  procedures for weapon use and active assailant/hostage situations,  hazardous materials and toxic chemical spills, weather emergencies, and  exposure resulting from a manmade emergency. 

G. Emergency management and preparedness procedures for active assailant  situations shall engage the participation of the district school safety  specialist, threat assessment team members, faculty, staff and students for  each school and be conducted by the law enforcement agency or agencies  designated as first responders to the school’s campus. 

1) Accommodations for drills conducted at exceptional student education  centers may be provided. 

H. Each school shall develop and maintain an up-to-date plan based upon the  uniform guidelines and including the provisions of Florida law, State Board of  Education rules, and other applicable regulations. 

I. Copies of school plans shall be provided to county and city law enforcement  agencies, fire departments, and emergency preparedness officials. 

V. Threat Management 

A. The primary purpose of a threat management is to identify individuals  exhibiting threatening or other concerning behavior, assess the risk of harm,  and coordinate appropriate interventions and services for such individuals.  The Board’s threat management process is a systematic, fact-based method  designed to identify, using threat assessment protocols, whether behaviors  or communications constitute a concern for violence or harm to another person. Florida Harm Prevention and Threat Management Model is designed  to identify, assess, manage, and monitor threats to schools, school staff and  students. The goal of the threat management process is to prevent violence  or harm to members of the school community. The threat management  process uses a methodology that identifies students exhibiting threatening or  other concerning behavior, gathers information to assess the risk of harm to  themselves or others, and identifies appropriate interventions to prevent  violence and promote successful outcomes.

B. The Board authorizes the Superintendent to designate a Threat  Management Coordinator; a District Threat Management Team and school based threat management teams. 

1. The District Threat Management Coordinator (DTMC) must complete all  trainings specific to the Coordinator role and will oversee threat  management at all public K-12 schools, including charter schools  sponsored by the District. The DTMC must: 

a. Ensure all district-level and school-level threat management team  personnel are trained in threat management and on the Florida Model. 

b. Serve as Chair of the District Threat Management Team and as the  liaison to the Department of Education’s Office of Safe Schools. 

c. Ensure procedures are outlined for making referrals to mental health  services for students exhibiting threatening or concerning behavior of  self-harm or harm to others. 

d. Assist School Based Threat Management Teams in the District. 

2. District Threat Management Team (DTMT) will receive referrals from the  School Based Threat Management Teams, assess serious situations,  and provide support to school-based teams, including charter schools in  their district. The DTMT must include the DTMC, persons from school  district administration and persons with expertise. 

3. School Based Threat Management Team (SBTMT) will be headed by a  Chair and Vice-Chair who are appointed by the principal or designee. 

a. The Chair serves as the point person for threat management at the  school-level and is responsible for triaging reported threats or  concerning behavior and communications to determine whether the  matter should be summarily closed, or whether it should be reviewed  by the full SBTMT.

b. The team shall be comprised of a minimum of four (4) members,  including a person with expertise in counseling  (school/psychological), instructional personnel, school administration,  and law enforcement (school resource officer). 

c. If none of the SBTMT members are familiar with the student of  concern, the SBTMT Chair will assign a member of the school’s staff  who is familiar with the student to consult with and provide  background information to the threat management team. Consulting  personnel do not have to complete Florida Model training and may  not participate in the decision-making process. 

d. All members of the threat management team must be involved in the  threat management process and final decision making. 

e. Parental Notification 

i. If the SBTMT Chair determines the concerning threat or behavior  reported is a low level of concern and summarily closes the case,  the Chair/designee must use reasonable efforts to notify the  parent or guardian of the student concern. 

ii. If the Chair does not summarily close the case and refers the  matter to the SBTMT, reasonable efforts must be made to notify  the student of concern’s parent or guardian on the same day the  SBTMT assigns the preliminary level of concern. The SBTMT  must document all attempts to make contact with the parent or guardian using the contact information shared by the parent or  guardian with the District. 

iii. If the preliminary level of concern is high, the SBTMT chair or  designee must notify the Superintendent or designee to ensure  the requirements of F.S. 1006.07 are met. 

iv. The SBTMT Chair must notify the student of concern’s parent or  guardian if the threat management process reveals information  about their student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or  well-being or results in a change in related services or  monitoring, including but not limited to implementation of a  Student Support Management Plan (SSMP).

v. The SBTMT Chair or designee must provide a copy of the SSMP  to the student of concern’s parent or guardian upon the plan’s  finalization and anytime the SSMP is substantially revised, 

vi. The SBTMT Chair must make a reasonable effort to notify the  parent or guardian of the targeted student before the end of the  school day that the report was received unless the Chair has  determined the concern is unfounded. 

4. The threat management team will be responsible for the assessment of  individuals whose behavior may pose a threat to the safety of school staff  and/or students and coordinating resources and interventions for the  individual. 

5. If a student with a disability is reported to have made a threat to harm  others and the student’s intent is not clear, a referral will be made to the  threat management team for evaluation. 

6. Upon a preliminary determination that a student poses a threat of  violence or physical harm to him/herself or others, the threat  management team may obtain criminal history record information. The  team must immediately report its determination to the Superintendent  who must immediately attempt to notify the student’s parent or legal  guardian. A parent or guardian has the right to inspect and review the  threat management. The team will coordinate resources and  interventions to engage behavioral and mental health crisis resources  when mental health or substance abuse crisis is suspected. 

7. The threat management team must plan for the implementation and  monitoring of appropriate interventions to manage or mitigate the  student’s risk for engaging in violence and increasing the likelihood of  positive outcomes. 

8. Upon the student’s transfer to a different school, the threat management  team must verify that any intervention services provided to the student  remain in place until the threat management team of the receiving school  independently determines the need for intervention services. Threat  management teams must meet as often as needed to fulfill their duties of  assessing and intervening with persons whose behavior may pose a  threat to school staff or students, but no less than monthly. The teams  must maintain documentation of all meetings, including meeting dates  and times, team members in attendance, cases discussed and actions  taken.

9. Through the DTMC, the District must ensure that all threat management  teams in the District report to the DOE office on the team’s activities  during the previous year. The District School Safety Specialist must  ensure all schools in the District timely report all required information.  The report will contain all data or information required by Florida law. 

VI. Safety – Procedures 

A. School alarms shall be monitored on a weekly basis and malfunctions shall  be reported for immediate repair. 

B. A safety program shall be established consistent with the provisions of  Policy 8.01. The emergency preparedness procedures will identify the  individuals responsible for contacting the primary emergency response  agency and the emergency response agency that is responsible for notifying  the school district for each type of emergency. 

C. Emergency evacuation drills (fire, hurricane, tornado, active  assailant/hostage situation, other natural disaster, and school bus) shall be  held in compliance with state requirements and formulated in consultation  with the appropriate public safety agencies. Each principal, site administrator or transportation official is responsible for: 

1. Developing and posting emergency evacuation routes and procedures; 

2. Assigning and training staff members in specified responsibilities to  ensure prompt, safe and orderly evacuation; 

3. Identifying and reporting hazardous areas required corrective  measures; and 

4. Preparing and submitting within fifteen (15) calendar days an after action report of each emergency and fire drill to the District school  safety specialist for review. 

D. In the event of an emergency, the Superintendent is authorized to dismiss  early or close any or all schools. Except that the principal may dismiss the  school when the Superintendent or designee cannot be contacted and an  extreme emergency exists endangering the health, safety, or welfare of  students. Any such actions shall be reported immediately to the Superintendent or designee along with a statement describing the reasons  for the action. Such report shall be submitted to the School Board at the next regular meeting unless a special meeting is held relating to the  emergency.

E. Parents, as defined by law, have a right to timely notification of threats,  unlawful acts, and significant emergencies that occur on school grounds,  during school transportation or during school-sponsored activities  pursuant to sections 1006.07(4) and (7), F.S. 

1. Parents have a right to access school safety and discipline incidents as  reported pursuant to section 1006.07(9), F.S. 

VII. Safety – Violence Prevention 

A. The Superintendent shall develop a violence prevention plan for use by  each school. 

B. Training in identification of potentially violent behaviors and the  procedures to be implemented shall be provided to personnel of the  schools. 

VIII. Security 

A. The Superintendent shall establish and implement a Domestic Security  Plan consistent with the requirements of the National Incident  Management System (NIMS).

B. The Superintendent shall develop and implement guidelines and  procedures for reviewing each school’s security provisions. The security  provisions shall include procedures restricting the ingress to or egress  from a school campus when students are on the campus. Unless the  gate or access point is attended or actively staffed, the security  procedures shall state how all gates or other access points will remain  closed and locked. If the school safety specialist determines there are  other safety measures in place to allow a gate or access point to not be  locked, the determination must be documented in the FSSAT. 

C. Within the first ten (10) days of school students must be notified of the  safest areas to shelter in a classroom. The safety areas for students to  shelter within the classrooms and/or instructional spaces must be clearly  marked. All classrooms and other instructional spaces must be locked or  actively staffed when occupied by students except between class periods. 

D. The Superintendent shall designate an administrator or a law  enforcement officer employed by the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office as the school safety specialist for the District. The School Safety Specialist is  responsible for the supervision and oversight for all school safety and  security personnel, policies, and procedures in the District. The School  Safety Specialist’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to the  following:

1. On an annual basis, the school safety specialist will review district and  charter school policies and procedures for compliance with state law  and rules and ensure the timely and accurate submission of the  school environmental safety incident report (FSSAT) to the  Department. 

2. The School Safety Specialist must provide recommendations to the  superintendent and school board at a publicly noticed board meeting  identifying strategies and activities that the Board should implement in  order to address the findings to improve school safety and security. 

3. No later than November 1, the School Safety Specialist shall submit a  district best-practice assessment in the FSSAT that includes the school  board’s action(s) to the school security risk assessment findings and  recommendations provided to them. 

4. Provide training and resources to students and staff in matters relating  to mental health awareness and assistance; emergency procedures  (including active assailant training), and school safety and security. 

5. The School Safety Specialist will develop a process related to safety  used to identify and correct instances of noncompliance at the school. 

a. On a quarterly basis, the school safety specialist will report to the  superintendent and school board any non-compliance by the district  or school(s) with school safety laws or rules. 

b. Deficiencies relating to safe-school officer coverage must be  resolved by the next school day. 

c. Within 24 hours, the School Safety Specialist must notify the Office  of Safe Schools of the deficiencies related to safe-school officer  coverage and any instance of noncompliance that is determined to  be imminent threat to the health, safety and welfare of students or  staff. The Office of Safe Schools shall be notified within three (3)  days of any instance of noncompliance that is not corrected within  60 days.

6. The School Safety Specialist must make unannounced visits while school  is in session to all public schools in the district, including charter schools and  perform inspections for safe school compliance. The school safety specialist  must notify and report to the district’s superintendent or charter school  principal, if there are any violations discovered or if non-compliance of the  safe school requirements is suspected by a district school or charter school. 

7. notify the district’s superintendent if there is a suspected deficiency of  the district’s and/or a school’s noncompliance. 

E. A review of each school’s security provisions shall be conducted annually  by the principal with a written report submitted to the Superintendent or  designee for submission to the Board for review. 

F. Each school’s emergency plan shall include security provisions including  emergency lockdown procedures. 

G. Establishing policies and procedures for the prevention of violence on school grounds; including assessment of and intervention with individuals  whose behavior poses a threat to the safety of the school community. 

H. Adhering to background screening procedures for all staff, volunteers and  mentors. 

I. Security trailers may be located on school property. 

IX. Mental Health 

A. The School Board shall identify a mental health coordinator for the  District. The mental health coordinator shall serve as the primary  contact for the district’s coordination, communication, and implementation of student mental health policies, procedures,  responsibilities, and reporting. 

B. The mental health coordinator shall be responsible for: 

1. working with the Office of Safe Schools; 

2. maintaining records and reports regarding student mental health  as it relates to school safety and the mental health assistance  allocation; 

3. facilitating the implementation of school district mental health  policies relating to the respective duties and responsibilities of the  school district, the superintendent, and school principals;

4. coordinating the staffing and training of threat assessment teams  with the school safety specialist, and facilitating referrals, to mental  health services, as appropriate for students and their families; 

5. coordinating with the school safety specialist, the training and  resources for students and school district staff relating to youth  mental health awareness and assistance; and 

6. annually review of the district’s policies and procedures related to  student mental health for compliance with state law and alignment  with current best practices and making recommendations, as  needed, for amending said policies and procedures to the  superintendent and the district school board. 

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41; 1001.42, F.S. 

LAWS IMPLEMENTED 316.614, 1001.43, 1001.51, 1006.062, 1006.07, 1006.145, 1006.1493, 1006.21, 1013.13, F.S. 

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION RULES: 6A-1.0403, 6A-3.0171 6A-1.0018 

History: Adopted: January 14, 1999 

Revision Date(s): February 9, 2010, February 12, 2013, November 12, 2019 

December 8, 2020, April 13, 2021, January 11, 2022, October 11, 2022,  January 11, 2024, October 8, 2024 

Formerly: