The Fort Walton Beach Daily News reports today on a survey regarding school resource officers in the 67 Florida counties that was recently released by the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.
Every district has at least one SRO in it, and the majority of them have at least one assigned full time to all their secondary schools.Elementary schools are still being looked at, since the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.
Some districts split the cost of SROs 50-50 between the district (which is what happens in Escambia County) and the Sheriff’s Office. Others rely entirely on state funding earmarked for school safety. A few share the cost among the district, local law enforcement and county government.
Most of the SROs are sheriff’s deputies and police offices. Others are part of a private security team hired by the district. Two districts have their own police force.
Both Escambia and Santa Rosa school districts have created tasks force on school security. The Escambia task force will hold its first meeting this week, not exactly a rapid response to the issue.